Different Names for the Same Thing
by SkyEvangeline
Summary: We feel lust and try to tell ourselves that it’s love. Revenge is justice. Ruthlessness is ambition. But do one thousand repetitions really equal one truth? Can we really change something by just believing? Sequel to Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
1. Chapter 1: New Day

_Hey, everyone! I'm back, once again. For those who don't know, this is the third story in a series that I'm writing. To understand this one, you should read _The Truth About Love_ and then _Have You Ever Seen the Rain? _or else you'll probably be very, very confused. _

_Happy reading!_

**Different Names for the Same Thing**

_**Chapter One: New Day**_

_Beautiful day  
Watching you as you awake  
Morning stars in your eyes  
Your hand in mine  
The sky is lit up  
Day will be richer than night  
So don't think of yesterday  
It's here and now  
It's a… it's a… it's a…  
__New day_

Kate Havnevik

…

"_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." William Shakespeare wrote those immortal words with intention: Names are merely arbitrary tools that we've incorporated for our own convenience. It doesn't matter what something is called; it is what it is. Why, then, are we constantly trying to convince ourselves that we can change something just by changing its name? We feel lust and try to tell ourselves that it's love. Revenge is justice. Ruthlessness is ambition. But do one thousand repetitions really equal one truth? Can we really change something by just believing?_

…

Brennan Parker smiled to himself as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom, watching his wife sleeping peacefully. Her dark hair cascaded over the pillows, and the look on her face was one of pure serenity. It was almost a shame to wake her because she looked so much like an angel that he could have stared forever, but he knew that if there was any chance of them being on time today, he would have to.

"Sweetheart, it's time to get up," he whispered gently, sitting down on the bed beside her.

Elena Parker, however, wasn't going to be so easily persuaded. Without so much as opening her eyes, she groaned in annoyance and proceeded to pull the covers up over her head.

"C'mon, Elle," he coaxed softly, but to no avail. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to stay at the mixer until three this morning. And to make it to the hospital on time, you should have been up… about ten minutes ago."

That last statement, however, caught her attention. In a split-second, she was out of bed and fumbling through the not-quite-unpacked closet for something to wear. "Oh, my God, Bren! Why didn't the alarm go off?" she questioned frantically.

"It did. Three times, actually," he laughed. Normally, Elena was the definition of cool, calm, and collected. But now that she was back in Seattle—now that it was her turn to prove to everyone, including herself, that she was truly meant to become a surgeon—her nerves started to kick in. "Don't worry, Elle. Your dad's best friend is the Chief of Surgery—not to mention that you know almost every attending personally. It'll be fine."

But Elena was adamant about not using her connections to gain an unfair advantage. She had even decided not to keep her maiden name, Montgomery-Shepherd, because of the inevitable association to her two renowned parents. "Bren, it can't work like that. Nobody gets to know that I practically grew up in that hospital. Nobody gets to know that my mother and father are Addison Montgomery and Derek Shepherd." She paused and confessed, "I have to do this on my own."

He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead; he wanted so badly for her to see herself through his eyes. "You'll be amazing," he assured her. "I'll go put the coffee on."

"You're my hero," she grinned before returning her attention to her closet.

…

"Welcome to the next seven years of your life."

Elena felt a rush of nervous excitement through her body as the Chief of Surgery, Preston Burke, spoke those words to her and the nineteen other surgical interns as they stood under the bright lights of the OR. Unlike the rest of them, this was a place that she knew well; she had spent countless hours up in the gallery, her nose practically pressed to the glass, as she watched the skillful, dexterous hands of the surgeons work their miracles. It seemed surreal that her turn had finally come.

"All right, if you will all proceed to the locker room, you will have the opportunity to change and will be assigned to your resident," he further instructed, and they all, somewhat hesitantly, filed out of the OR.

"Courtland Christensen, Piper Mitchell, Brennan Parker, Elena Parker, and Rhys Whittaker—you're with Dr. Patton," a man instructed, pointing vaguely in the direction of the hall.

Brennan laughed and whispered, "Thank God I don't have to go through this by myself."

"Elle? Oh, you have _no_ idea how great it is to see a familiar face!" Piper Mitchell said happily, hurrying to join Elena and Brennan.

Elena and Piper had met for the first time at the interns' mixer the previous evening. She was much shorter than Elena's height of five feet, eight inches, but she definitely made up for it with her huge personality. Elena had assumed that it was the five glasses of wine that had made the petite blonde so outspoken, but now she could see that it was all her.

"Rhys Whittaker—call me Whit. Soon enough you'll find out why," their fellow intern announced with a Cheshire cat grin as he joined the tiny group. His brown eyes sparkled playfully as he added, "So, I hear they call our guy 'General Patton.' Sucks to be us, apparently."

But Elena offered, "Maybe it's just… a thing, you know? Maybe he's really tough on the interns at first, but he loosens up later. I mean, my stepmother had a resident called 'The Nazi,' but it only sucked to be them for a few months."

At first appearances, at least, Eric Patton definitely lived up to his nickname. He towered over them all, and even Elena and Piper standing shoulder to shoulder weren't as broad as he was. "Those are _pagers_," he said slowly, as though he was explaining the concept to a group of kindergarteners. "They make noise for a reason. When your pager makes noise, you are to drop what you're doing and _run_ to wherever you're paged. There are no excuses for not answering a page; there are no excuses for not paging me when you get a page. There is no excuse for your laziness killing someone. Is that clear?" When they all nodded, he continued. "Good, now—Wait, there are four of you here. Where is the fifth?"

"Oh, that would be me," a man who could have practically been a Ken doll said nonchalantly as he strolled up to them. "Courtland Reginald Christensen, IV," he announced, holding out his hand.

Patton, however, just looked at him blankly. "You are an intern—a _nobody._ You do not get to show up late. You do as you're told and do not speak unless you're spoken to," he practically barked. Then with a wrathful-looking grin, he added, "I bet a week of doing rectals and changing bedpans will remind you to look at your watch every once in a while."

"Oh, crap. It _does_ suck to be us," Elena whispered under her breath to Piper, who nodded adamantly.

Fortunately, at that moment, their pagers went off. Patton instructed, "Follow me to the ER. Stay out of the way until you get an assignment."

Their adrenaline was already pumping full-blast by the time they arrived at the ER, which was a scene of absolute chaos. Listening eagerly to a paramedic's report, they learned that there had been a multi-car accident and that there were still more ambulances on their way. All around them was the sight of broken, bleeding people—some were even terribly burned from an apparent car explosion—and as excited as they were, they couldn't help but be a little bit terrified.

"Talk to me," Cristina Yang said as she hurried into the OR while a nurse helped to tie her gown. One patient, in particular, caught her attention, and she walked over to him.

"Andrew Kent, age forty-five. Suffered severe chest trauma as the result of a vehicle collision. He was unconscious at the scene, and his bp is eighty over forty."

"Okay, thank you," she nodded and felt his chest and abdomen. "Hemothorax," she said aloud and continued, "We need to get a tube in him." However, the loud, erratic screech of the monitors let her know that something even more serious was going on with her patient. "All right, change of plans. We need to get this guy opened up."

Cristina looked up and spotted Elena among her group of interns. "You, come here," she said, trying to be casual as she pointed in the young woman's direction.

Without hesitation, Elena rushed to her and watched as Cristina made an incision across Mr. Kent's chest.

"I need you to hold the retractor," she instructed.

"Okay," she eagerly agreed while the others just stared on in absolute envy.

His chest was filled with dark red blood, and Elena heard Cristina breathe deeply when she had him opened up. It was plain as day that if they didn't act quickly, Mr. Kent's heart would never beat again. The pressure was immense but oddly, Elena felt a sense of calm despite the confusion. It was almost as if the insanity around them had vanished, leaving them in a strange silence.

Finally after seconds that seemed like years, most of the excess blood had been suctioned away, and Elena could see his heart—pink and motionless as it lay in his chest.

Without explanation, Cristina suddenly ordered, "Nurse, please take over the retractors." Then silently, she took Elena's hand into hers and placed it gently over the heart. "Squeeze and release in rhythm. Not too hard, but don't be afraid to apply a little force. Can you do that?"

She nodded and did as she was told. After four attempts there was still nothing. Cristina, however, instructed her to continue. For a moment, Elena felt as though her heart would stop along with his. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a weak contraction beneath her hand. When it happened again and again, she realized that it wasn't just a figment of her imagination; he was alive again.

"I just held a heart," she whispered breathlessly, unable to hide the huge grin that had now spread across her face.

Cristina was smiling as well as she echoed, "You just held a heart. Welcome to the game, Elle."

…

_Okay, so a few things. First, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm definitely back with a sequel. However, it might be a while until it actually gets up and running. Let me know what you think/if you like this idea for a storyline. My schedule is even worse than last semester, but I'll do my best to make time for Elena and the others. Thanks, as always, for your patience and support!_

_Second, I obviously have no idea what medicine will be like in 20 years. So the procedures, techniques, etc. will pretty much be what's going on with medicine now. I hope that's all right with everyone. :)_


	2. Chapter 2: How You See the World

_**Chapter Two: How You See the World**_

_There's so much to be scared of  
And not much to make sense of  
Are you running in a circle?  
You can't be too careful  
And you can't relate it  
'Cause it's complicated  
Oh, you're gonna get it right some time  
You're gonna get it right some time  
It's how you see the world  
How many times can you see?  
You can't believe what you learn_

Coldplay

…

"Fourteen hours," Piper sighed, and her voice echoed through the abandoned hallway as she, Elena, and Whit sat exhausted on the gurneys—the first real chance they'd had to sit all day. "We've been at this for fourteen hours and there's still thirty-four hours to go and I can't feel my feet."

"Yeah, well, I _can _feel my feet, so consider yourself lucky," Whit retorted as he opened up a bag of potato chips. "Remind me again why we're doing this."

Elena teased, "Because we're secretly gluttons for punishment."

Whit nodded and agreed, "Yeah, that must be it. So, anyway, where's hubby?"

She just shrugged. "I haven't seen him in hours. The last time I saw him, he was with Al—um, Dr. Karev. But his patient didn't need surgery and the baby is fine, so they're just going to keep her overnight for observation. He knows we're down here, though, so maybe he'll be down later."

"As long as he doesn't bring Court with him," Piper said, shaking her head. It was easy to see that she was definitely not his biggest fan; then again, not many people around Seattle Grace were, even after only one day. "And how's your heart guy? Still kickin'?"

"Yeah, Mr. Kent pulled through his operation. Thank goodness. I mean, the guy has a ten-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter. It would've been so heartbreaking," she answered, only to find the two of them staring at her. "What?"

"What in the world are you doing in surgery, Parker?" Whit wondered. "You don't really seem the type—no offence."

But Elena wasn't offended at all; actually, she was a bit amused. When people saw her, they saw a sweet, kind, gentle person whom they could trust. While sweet wasn't necessarily the top description of what a surgeon should be, the fact that people trusted her would give her an additional advantage. And, of course, that wasn't to mention that she knew surgery unlike any of them—first hand. "Talk to me again after _you've_ held a heart," she grinned, and he admitted defeat.

"You're so lucky you made a good first impression with Dr. Yang, Elle. I hear she's, like, the biggest hard-ass around here. I heard that if she asks you a question and you don't know the answer, she kicks you off her case and won't let you back on anything of hers," Piper remarked, and it took everything Elena had inside not to burst into laughter. "I heard she's _married_ to Chief Burke. I mean, seriously! You screw up with her or make her mad, and you've basically screwed up with the Chief."

Whit added very seriously, "Oh, and I also heard that Montgomery and Sloan are married, too. Definitely don't make _her _mad; I heard she can be brutal. And Sloan loves to test his interns by making them do all kind of ridiculous crap—but if you can survive it, I heard it's totally worth it." He paused and questioned, "Piper, you were with Shepherd today. What's he like?"

"You really have to be on top of your game with him, but he seems okay. The other Dr. Shepherd just popped in for a minute for a quick consult, but she didn't look very scary. What did you hear, Elle?"

"Pretty much the same," she replied, trying her best not to act like these were people she'd known all her life. "But a word of advice: Be nice to the nurses. Especially Debbie. She's been here… forever; don't screw with her."

Both Whit and Piper nodded, desperately eager for any little bit of advice that would make their time as interns easier. For a moment, the three of them sat in silence, just pondering exactly what the past fourteen hours meant. It was real now; they had spent four years in medical school preparing for this very day, yet now that it was here, they felt utterly and completely helpless. They were doctors now. Instead of being the students who got to ask all the questions, they were now the ones to whom people would come for answers. _They_ were supposed to have the answers. And that, in itself, was terrifying.

…

"Okay, Parker, show us what you've got," Patton instructed the following morning as he and the five interns stood in Mr. Kent's room.

"Andrew Kent, age forty-five. Day one post-op from a thoracotomy after presenting yesterday with hemothorax due to blunt chest trauma," she reported, and he nodded—an act that they would soon learn was the closest to praise that they would receive.

However, Mr. Kent's wife Lisa caught Elena's attention. Elena was pretty sure that she hadn't left the hospital once since she had been called, and it was such a relief that he was going to pull through. When Elena had done her pre-rounds earlier that morning, Lisa had greeted her with a much-needed cup of coffee. In a single moment, they had bonded. And in a single moment, although Elena didn't quite realize it yet, she had learned the first of the lessons that no book could ever teach.

"I just wanted to thank you again, Dr. Parker, for taking such good care of my Andy," she said for the hundredth time, catching Elena alone as the others left the room to move on to the next patient.

"You're welcome, Mrs. Kent," she nodded as the woman took Elena's hand into her own. "I'll be back later to check on him, and if everything goes well, he should be going home by the end of the week."

Lisa took in a slow breath of happy relief. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that. I just… don't know what I would've done if I hadn't gotten a second chance."

Elena wasn't quite sure what she meant but was nonetheless happy for her. Evidently, this was a woman that, despite anything else, was overjoyed that her husband was alive. That was reason enough for Elena to be happy, too. "I should probably go catch up to the others, but I'll be back, okay?"

"Right, okay. So sorry to keep you," she apologized, having returned to her husband's bedside. "Thank you again, Dr. Parker."

…

"Elle, you have to eat something," Brennan urged as they sat down for lunch. Or, rather, used every ounce of strength they could gather to actually hold themselves up in their chairs.

But she shook her head. "I think I'm too tired to chew."

"Really, don't even complain," Court said, dropping his tray onto the table and falling into his seat. "I think I'm permanently scarred."

"Well, serves you right for thinking you're better than the rest of us," Piper snapped, rolling her eyes. "I may not have a number after my name, but as of now, we're all equal here."

Whit added with a grin, "That means get over yourself, Fabio."

However, they all straightened up abruptly as Derek approached their table. "Dr. Parker, can I see you privately for a moment?" he requested to Elena, and she stood to follow him, leaving all the others—except Brennan, of course—to wonder exactly what the Head of Neurosurgery wanted with their fellow intern.

She followed her father into the hospital, where they finally came to a stop in front of the OR board. Over the years, they'd had countless heart-to-hearts in this very spot, and it seemed theirs and theirs alone. "Sorry, Princess, but I just wanted to see how you were hanging in."

"I'm okay," she assured him. "It's just that… it's different on this side, you know? I've never been so scared and excited and nervous all at the same time."

He nodded. Her tired, eager eyes reminded him so much of his own from years ago when he was just an intern. It had been a long time, yet he still remembered the precise feeling which she was describing. "From now on, everything is going to be different. You're going to have an entirely new perspective. As soon as you put on that white coat, everything changed," he told her, then laughed and added, "But I told you I could do this without favoritism; I didn't even request you."

"Thank you," she smiled. Her one condition for coming to work at Seattle Grace was that her parents treat her exactly as they did all the other interns. She knew that it would be difficult for them, but it was important to her so she knew that they would at least try.

"Cristina told me that you administered a cardiac massage yesterday," he commented suddenly, secretly wishing that he could have seen the event first-hand.

"It was so amazing, Daddy," she told him, temporarily forgetting her exhaustion as she relived the moment. "One minute, his heard wasn't moving, and then… I felt it beat. It was beating _in my hand_."

"I'm proud of you, Elle. We all are."

"That's what makes this easier," she whispered.

As he watched Elena walk away, it hit him that his little girl had grown up. She had always been years beyond her age, but things were inevitably going to change for her and for all of them. When she was still young, there were things from which he could protect her; now, however, she would see everything. He just hoped that it wouldn't change her too much.

"Elle, I don't want to freak you out, but… I think Dr. Shepherd has a thing for you," Piper said point-blankly the moment Elena returned to their table.

"Oh, my God, Piper! No, absolutely not," she answered as she shook her head fervently, while Brennan just looked on in shock that someone could possibly even think that. There was no way that they could have known better, but it was still a terribly awkward observation for both his wife and himself.

"Seriously," she insisted and continued. "I mean, when we were rounding today on our patient, he was, like… _staring_ straight at you and smiling."

All that Elena could do was look at Brennan before she burst into laughter. "I swear it isn't that."

"What, then? What's your secret, Elena Parker?" Whit demanded, and all eyes were upon her, awaiting an answer.

Searching for her mind for an acceptable truth, she finally blurted out, "He was… my doctor. When I was a baby, I had an operation, and he was one of my surgeons. Um, I was born in this hospital."

She couldn't help but notice the skeptical look that Court gave her, but she brushed it aside as him just being him. Brennan smiled to himself in amusement, and Piper and Whit both seemed to find her response perfectly reasonable.

"Oh, okay," Piper nodded. "That's really kind of cool. I'll bet it's exciting to be back here, then."

"It's like coming home."


	3. Chapter 3: Stand Here with Me

_**Chapter Three: Stand Here with Me**_

_You always reached out to me and helped me believe  
All those memories we share  
I will cherish every one of them  
The truth of it is there's a right way to live  
And you showed me  
So now you live on in the words of a song  
You're a melody  
You stand here with me now_

Creed

…

There is an inevitable bond that forms between children whose parents are as close as the surgeons of Seattle Grace Hospital. Not only were they constantly in contact from their very earliest years, but they also understood like no one else just what it meant to be the child of parents with that particular occupation. There was an unbreakable sense of comfort in their togetherness that they still appreciated as adults.

Although Elena wouldn't have reversed her decision to go away to school, first as an undergraduate to Princeton and eventually to Johns Hopkins, she had missed her family terribly the entire time she was away. And that evening as she sat in her living room with all of them while Brennan and Lillian were busy making dinner, it was almost like nothing had changed.

Elena smiled as Hayden's wife, Corrine, took a seat beside her on the sofa. She was easily an honorary member of the club, having been one of their dearest friends since she was five years old. Everybody knew that she and Hayden were going to get married—Hayden himself had decided at only ten years old that Corrine was the love of his life—and Elena was more than happy to welcome her brother's soulmate into their family. They had gotten married only two months after their high school graduation, and even four years later, they were still just as happy as newlyweds. And Elena loved them for that.

"Okay, I'm feeling left out of the sisterly love," Aida announced as she took the liberty to sit down on Elena's other side.

Aida Grace Shepherd was an impossible mirror of her mother; Hayden had something for both of his parents, but Aida was strikingly Meredith. Evidently, although no one cared to elaborate, Meredith had been somewhat of a rebel in her earlier days; it was easy to see that her daughter was definitely upholding the family tradition. She rarely missed a party these days, and she practically had a seat reserved in the principal's office. She said what she thought and did what she wanted with no discretion and no regrets.

"So, Ellie, is it okay if I crash here tonight? Mom and Dad won't leave me alone about my history grade—it's _not_ my fault that Mr. McLoser hates my guts already—and I feel bad for Hayden and Corrine because I'm _always_ over at their place," she said, putting on her sweetest smile. "_Please_, Ellie?"

Aida was the only person who ever referred to her "Ellie," and for some reason, it completely melted her heart; she reasoned it was because one of her sister's first words was, in fact, her name. And despite all their obvious differences, Elena loved her little sister and would have done anything in the world for her. "Okay, just call Dad and Meredith and let them know," she gave in.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed, hugging Elena tightly. "I swear, you won't even know I'm here."

"You still have to follow all the rules that they have. Curfews and stuff," she told her, but Aida was already on the phone with her mother.

Just then, William walked through the door with his girl of the month. He was in his last year of law school, and he was determined to date every woman in Seattle between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five. Elena had decided that so far, he was doing a very good job of it and often let him know that; however, he would always just grin and tease that he was just looking for someone who could compare to her.

"Good to see you made it through your first month," William laughed as he walked over to Elena and kissed her cheek. The duo had always had a particular friendship, one that arose from all the years they'd spent together throughout their childhood school years. "This is Janya," he introduced the young woman standing next to him, who smiled politely. "Janya, this is… well, everyone."

"Hey, let's play charades or something while we wait for dinner," Lillian suggested cheerfully as she and Brennan joined the others. Although she and Aida were best friends—practically inseparable, as a matter of fact—they were polar opposites. Lillian Burke was already determined to become a surgeon as her parents were; in fact, she and Elena were probably the most alike of any of the children, even twins Lydia and Sophie.

"I'll go first," Joshua, the youngest of their group at only sixteen, offered and they all obliged as was habit. Drawing a card, he studied it for a moment, laughed to himself, then opened his hands to indicate that it was the title of a book.

"Three words," Lydia said as her brother held up three fingers. "Okay, second word..."

"Close?" Aaron guessed as Joshua held his hands almost together.

"Small?" Brennan wondered, and he nodded to let him know that he was on the right track.

Finally, Elena guessed, "Little?" and Joshua touched his nose to let her know that she had guessed correctly.

He held up three fingers, to signify the third word and paused for a moment before pointing to Elena.

The others, however, had no idea what to make of it and stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Um… Elle? Elena?" Lillian said, not really expecting it to be the answer but in attempt to get the guessing started again.

"Doctor?" Corrine wondered, but Joshua shook his head.

The guessing continued for a while, but to no avail. However, suddenly a smile came over Aida's face. "Princess," she answered without hesitation, thinking of the nickname to which her father almost always addressed her sister. "It's _A Little Princess._"

…

Meredith had never quite realized just how big her house was until she found herself alone that evening. Ever since she had moved back to Seattle all those years ago, there had always been someone there—first George and Izzie as her roommates, and then Derek and their children. She hadn't ever really given it much thought before because it just wasn't something that crossed her mind until now. Even with Elena and Hayden grown up and married, she and Derek had still had Aida to play her music too loud or to fumble down the stairs for a midnight snack.

Lately, however, their youngest was set on her independence and was rarely home. Meredith understood that need better than most, and she respected it even though she feared that her youngest may be headed toward a very hard road. But she also knew that there were lessons that her children would have to learn on their own, that sometimes all she could do was let them spread their wings and be there to catch them if they couldn't quite make the flight.

Soon enough, Meredith's thoughts were broken by Anesthesia bursting clumsily into the kitchen and staring up at her with her playful black eyes. Anesthesia—or Annie as they had taken to calling her—was the huge, shaggy black mutt that Aida had discovered on their doorstep when she was nine. After two months of searching for the dog's owner to no avail and countless hours of begging from their youngest daughter, the dog became a permanent member of the Shepherd family. Aida had named her Anesthesia because, as she had proudly declared, it was the biggest word she could spell.

"Hey, Annie," Meredith smiled, patting the dog atop the head as had become habit. "Sorry, but Aida won't be home again tonight," she said, and she could swear that by Annie's abrupt halt in tail-wagging that she had understood perfectly.

An instant later, however, her ears perked up and she was bounding for the front door even before Meredith realized that her husband was home. Meredith found it especially amusing that just by reading Annie's behavior, she could tell who would be walking through the door. But it was particularly easy to tell when it was Aida; that was when Annie's tail wagged so much that it sent her whole body shaking.

"Hey, Anna-Banana," Derek laughed as Annie jumped up to greet him. And as his wife appeared shortly after, he couldn't help but smile.

Even after twenty-four years of marriage, she still managed to take his breath away just by walking into the room. She was, in his eyes, ageless and completely unaffected by the passing of the years. She was his perfection, and he was eternally in awe of just how lucky he was.

"I'm glad you're home. It's too quiet," she smiled, finding herself wrapped in his arms. "Aida called to say that she's going to be staying at Elle's for a while."

Derek nodded thoughtfully. Aida, his little Angel, didn't quite seem to fit her nickname these days. She was the rebel, the free spirit, the one who questioned authority and demanded explanation for everything. It was certainly more of a challenge with Aida than it had been with either Elena or Hayden, but he loved her just the same. She was, and would always be, his little Aida Grace.

"I think it's a good idea for them to spend some time together," he remarked as they went back into the kitchen to finish dinner. "She listens to Elle. Maybe she can help Aida get things figured out in a way that we can't."

"Maybe," she sighed, hoping that he was right. "I just wish that Aida would apply herself. She's such a smart girl, Derek, but she just doesn't _care_. If she worked hard and just couldn't quite do well, I could understand that. But she's too smart to throw her life away already."

"She'll come around," he answered, although he wasn't quite sure if he even believed himself. "One day she'll decide that enough is enough, and she'll get her act together. We've taught her right from wrong, but it's up to her now to decide. I worry about her just as much as you do, but we can't protect her from everything."

Meredith sighed and put her head on his shoulder. "But it doesn't stop me from wanting to. She's my baby, and I want to keep her safe."

"You don't have to worry tonight, at least. I'm sure Elle is going to keep her in line," he laughed. "And I know that Lily would never let her get into _too_ much trouble."

His last remark made Meredith smile as well. She loved that her best friend's daughter and her own had also become best friends. "Thank goodness for Lily," she nodded. After a brief pause, she wondered randomly, "Derek, do you ever wish that we had had more children?"

Of course, hey had talked about the possibility of more children many times over the years, but it had ended up just being their three. However, their house had seemed to be the place where everyone always ended up, so between all of their children's friends, sometimes it seemed like they'd had about fifteen kids instead. "I don't know. If we'd had more kids, I would have been overjoyed. But Elle and Hayden and Aida—they've made my life complete, you know?"

Meredith nodded. She knew exactly what he meant because she felt the same. Just knowing that together, they had been a part of something more than themselves, was enough.


	4. Chapter 4: Ships

**_Chapter Four: Ships_**

_Just like ships, we float through each other's lives  
Through the waters of beauty and grace  
We will one day dock at the same port  
And give rest to our weary legs  
There is a light placed up in the sky  
Like the stained glass, time slows down  
I wish I could sleep, I wish I could dream_

Umbrellas

…

"It never gets any easier, does it?"

Elena jumped at the sound of his voice; she certainly hadn't expected anyone else to be out here so early. However, she was pleasantly surprised when she was met with the calm smile of the white-haired gentleman, who couldn't possibly have been any younger than eighty. His pale blue eyes showed a silent kindness, and they reminded her very much of her father's eyes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you, Miss," he apologized, his voice laced with the slightest hint of an accent that Elena couldn't place.

But Elena shook her head and assured him, "It's all right. Actually, I don't mind the company." After a brief pause, she added, "You're right. It never does quite seem to get easier." She watched his eyes read the name on the headstone, the name she had read hundreds of times as she tried to picture the young woman who once answered to it. _Lennon Rose Campbell._ It was twenty-four years today.

For a while, Elena and the man stood there in silence that was surprisingly comfortable. He didn't push her for further answers, but she felt compelled to speak to him, in part because she was somewhat curious to hear his story as well.

"It's funny," she started to say, and he turned his attention to her. "Sometimes I wake up expecting her to be there. Which is completely ridiculous because she died when I was an infant, so I don't actually remember her. It's just that… sometimes I dream of her, and I _swear_ it's like she's really there."

The old man nodded thoughtfully. "Dreams are our windows between worlds. They're the way we get to know that all is not lost—that there is something more for us."

She sighed and admitted, "I wish I could believe that all the time. I _want_ to believe that she's in a better place watching over me, but I don't know. Right now, I'm ten years older than she was when she died, and… Well, sometimes it's just hard to have faith." It had been something that she'd struggled with over the years; the older she got, the more she thought about the unfairness of it all. And the harder it was to hold onto her childhood perceptions of the world.

Without a word, he took out his wallet, pulled out a time-worn black and white photograph and handed it to Elena.

A young woman—younger than Elena by years, she was sure—was dressed in white and seated in a pose for the photograph. There was a hint of a smile on her face and the glimmer of pure happiness in her eyes. "She's beautiful."

"That is my Liesel on our wedding day. It was nearly sixty-two years ago, but I remember like it was yesterday. We were together for eleven beautiful months."

"Did you ever… marry again?" she wondered haltingly, unsure exactly where the line of questioning should be drawn.

Slowly, he shook his head. "When I first lost her, I was angry and bitter. It was, as you said, hard to have faith. But then I realized that for eleven months, I was the luckiest man in the world. I had loved another and had been loved in return. Some never know such things. For me, our time together was enough for a lifetime."

At that moment, Elena knew that he was right. But she couldn't help but wonder which was harder: Having something for a moment and then losing it or never really having something at all?

…

Piper decided that it was best to get an early start on rounds that morning, but upon arriving at the hospital, she soon discovered that the Doctors Parker had precisely the same idea. In the locker room, she spotted Brennan tying his sneakers while Elena was fast asleep on the bench. "Long night?" she asked with an impish grin as she headed toward her own locker.

"She hasn't been sleeping lately, which is crazy because we're already too sleep-deprived for our own good. If a hard wooden bench is where she can find some peace, then so be it."

"Oh, my God," she laughed, shaking her head.

"What?"

"That's just… so cute," she grinned.

At first, Brennan used to find himself watching Elena sleep simply because she looked so beautiful. Not that she wasn't beautiful awake, because she was, but there was just something about the peacefulness that exuded from her that gave him his own sense of calm. Now, however, he watched her sleep simply because he wanted to be sure that she was. He wanted to make sure that he did everything in his power to take care of her.

As Elena stirred slightly, her scrub top moved up a little to reveal the tiny scar on the small of her back. It was the only flaw on her entire body—Brennan smiled to himself because he knew her body quite well—yet it had its charm. It was the mark that Elena was, and had always been a survivor. It was her battle scar.

However, it caught Piper's attention as well, and she was soon standing over Elena trying to get a better look.

"Seriously, don't hover like that," Elena said sleepily, tugging her shirt back down. But she could still feel Piper standing nearby and suddenly wondered, "What's so fascinating about my back? I'd really love to know."

"That scar," Piper answered and completely switched into doctor-mode. Without invitation, she hunched over Elena, lifted up her shirt, and remarked, "This is a surgical scar. But it's definitely not new." Then all of a sudden, as though Piper realized that Elena was her coworker and not another patient, she stood straight up. "That was _beyond_ rude of me. I am so sorry, Elle. I seriously can't believe I just did that."

But Elena just laughed. As much as she hated the scar, it was a reminder to be thankful. "It's from an operation I had in-utero at twenty-six weeks after I was diagnosed with a mild case of Spina Bifida," she explained, holding up her shirt once more to allow Piper a better look.

"That's amazing! It was so experimental and risky back then, and… your surgeons completely pulled it off," Piper gasped.

"Courtesy of Dr. Addison Montgomery and Dr. Derek Shepherd," she smiled as she turned around to face them.

Piper just stood in awe for a moment, shaking her head. "Un-freaking-believable. We are _so_ lucky to get to work under them," she finally managed, and both Elena and Brennan agreed.

…

"Miss Henderson, these are my interns, Piper Mitchell and Elena Parker," Addison said as she introduced them.

The young woman before them smiled half-heartedly. Elena noticed that Amy Henderson looked as exhausted and stressed out as she felt most of the time. She also saw that Amy's eyes were red and her face was puffy—as though she had been crying recently.

"Miss Henderson is thirty-two weeks with twins. Baby A—Nora—has been diagnosed with ventricular septal defect, and Baby B—Colin—appears to have congenital craniopharyngioma. Piper, describe Nora's condition and treatment options."

"Ventricular septal defect is the result of the failure of the muscular wall separating the right and left ventricles to fully form. Depending on the size of the holes, either surgery or a combination of medication then surgery, can be used," Piper recited. "But I guess since we're here that we're opting for the surgery."

Addison nodded and turned to Elena. "Your turn."

"Colin has craniopharyngioma, which means that there is a tumor growing on his hypothalamus. Left untreated, the tumor can result in eventual seizures, motor function inhibition, and permanent brain damage. Treatment includes surgery, possibly with radiation and chemotherapy."

She nodded tearfully but didn't actually start to cry. Both Piper and Elena knew that it was probably the hundredth time she'd had the diagnoses laid out before her like that, yet they were sure it was just as frightening every time. "Smart girls," she managed to smile.

Addison looked at them proudly and agreed. "The future of medicine is in good hands." Then, turning her attention back to the babies, she continued, "A C-section is scheduled for two o'clock this afternoon. The twins will then be moved to the NICU for overnight supervision. Tomorrow morning, we will reassess their conditions and decide where to go from there."

"If the babies make it through the night—if they're strong enough to go through with the surgeries—will you be doing them?" Amy wondered, surprising them all with the distance of reality in her tone. It wasn't like she was talking about her own children at all.

"Dr. Cristina Yang will head Nora's surgery, while Dr. Meredith Shepherd will have Colin's. Both are excellent surgeons; I have known them both from the time they were interns. I'll be supervising both operations, and you can rest assured that your children will be in good hands," Addison smiled, rubbing the back of Amy's hand in consolation.

"What are the chances of _both_ her babies having such serious conditions?" Piper wondered out loud to no one in particular as soon as they were out in the hall. "That just… sucks."

For a moment, Addison completely forgot that she was supposed to be their authority figure and completely fell into the role of having a friendly chat with Elena and her friend. "It'll be a miracle if they both survive everything that they're about to go through."

"But there's a chance, isn't there? There's a chance that they'll both be okay?" Elena wondered, determined to be optimistic. Somebody had to believe in them, and she didn't mind being that person.

"There's always a chance," she nodded, refreshed by her daughter's spirit. "Every once in a while, people can surprise you. They can exceed your greatest expectations." She then wondered, "How are you feeling, Elena? Are you all right today?"

"I am," she assured her. "Are you?"

"Of course," she smiled, noticing the puzzled look on Piper's face. "Are either of you on call tonight?" she wondered, and Piper said that she was. "Then you'll be watching the twins. I suggest that you two grab a bite and a nap. It's going to be a very long few days."

"Dr. Montgomery."

"Dr. Sloan," Addison laughed as her husband approached them.

"How come you get two?" he wondered, looking at both Piper and Elena. "I only got one, and he's annoying. I sent him to do charts."

Elena and Piper giggled to themselves; Court had been assigned to Mark that day, and they were glad to know that he was getting exactly what he had coming. And of course, only Mark Sloan could dish it out that way.

"I have two because my patient is delivering twins," she answered playfully. "And no, I'm not trading either of them, so don't ask."

"You're mean," Mark laughed, shaking his head. "Isn't she mean?" he asked the girls. Elena, who was used to their playful banter, just grinned in response while Piper smiled awkwardly, unsure how to reply.

Sensing Piper's discomfort, Elena took her friend by the arm and said, "Let's go get some coffee or something."

"That was… weird. Not a bad weird, but an unexpected weird. It's like they were actually _people_ just now, not our bosses."

"Piper, they _are_ people. They're amazing surgeons, but they're people, too," Elena assured her. "They were us once upon a time."

Piper, however, shook her head. "Still… it's weird."

"I hate to break it to you, but everything in this hospital is weird. And it's not just because we're sleep-deprived and pumped up on caffeine. It just… is," she tried to explain, only to realize that even after all this time, she didn't quite understand Seattle Grace herself.


	5. Chapter 5: You Are My Joy

**_Chapter Five:_** **_You Are My Joy_**

_I won't leave you out of my will  
But I will leave you out of my mind, for now  
I won't be there to break your sweet heart  
But not being there might break your sweet heart  
You are my joy, you are my joy  
You are my joy, you are my joy  
You are my joy, you are my joy  
You are my joy, you are my joy  
If I could cradle you into my arms  
I would cradle you tight in my arms, always  
So don't be scared of all the hurtful words  
'Cause in the end they'll hurt themselves much more  
You are my joy_

Reindeer Section

…

"How can something so small be so stressful?" Piper wondered sleepily, leaning against Nora's incubator, as Elena, Brennan, and Whit paid a visit to the NICU before rounds the next morning.

"They both made it, though," Elena smiled as she touched Colin's tiny hand. "They're fighters."

"You're so going into neonatal," Piper laughed, shaking her head.

Slowly but curiously, Whit approached the tiny babies in their incubators. After a brief glance at each, he wondered to Piper, "So, which one is ours?"

"That would be Nora," she answered, placing her hand atop the little girl's plastic-walled encasement. "But no surgery for her today; her lung collapsed last night, and she's nowhere near stable enough," she sighed, and the stress in her voice was evident. It had been a long, difficult night for her, with many scares. Never in her life had she been so happy for morning to come. "Colin seems to be okay, though."

"Hey, Buddy," Brennan whispered, joining Elena by Colin's side. Being an only child, Brennan had always had a big appreciation for family. And although Elena's was huge and usually chaotic, he loved it; he wanted a family like that for himself someday. He knew that right now, he and Elena couldn't possibly deal with children _and_ their careers. But someday, he wanted as many children as Elena would put up with. Of course, he also knew that family meant just as much to her, so he was sure that they'd end up with a houseful.

As soon as Court walked into the room, Piper was on her guard. "Stop pouting or leave. It's annoying, and you're bringing your negative vibes into the NICU," she told him bluntly, not putting up with his scowling face and inevitable bad attitude for even a moment.

"Yeah, well, you'd be pouting, too, if you had to put up with what Sloan has been giving me," he started to defend. "I've been doing all of his charts and post-ops and pre-ops, but he refuses to let me in on a surgery. And you guys all have cases, and I'm a freaking secretary."

Elena reminded him, "You're the one who said you weren't interested in neonatal in front of Montgomery. You can't blame that on anyone but yourself."

"I don't even want in on Plastics, either."

"Lucky for me, by the time I get to Sloan, he'll already have taken out his frustrations on you," Piper said, feigning sweetness. Then with a smile, she added, "Thanks, Court."

That last little bit was just enough to push him to the edge. He glared at her angrily for a moment before storming out without another word.

Whit immediately proceeded to give Piper a high-five while Brennan and Elena just laughed in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just did that," Elena giggled, shaking her head.

But Whit volunteered, "I can. Piper is vicious." When Piper slapped him on the arm for his remark, he added, "See? And she's a food-stealer, too."

"Oh, shut up. I asked."

But Whit pretended to drop his jaw in shock before arguing playfully, "You asked for half of my sandwich and then took it before I even answered. And you drank half my soda."

Piper, however, just winked and smiled. "You know you love it."

…

"You ready for this?"

Elena smiled as her stepmother walked into the scrub room. She could see the excitement on Meredith's face, and she knew exactly why. Ever since Elena could remember, Meredith always talked about how amazing it would be when they finally got to do an actual surgery together. And today was that day.

"You have no idea," she grinned in reply. "Is that weird? I mean, that I'm _this_ excited for something that other people just find morbid?"

But Meredith shook her head. "You're a surgeon. If you _weren't_ excited, then I'd be worried."

"He's just… so little. I know it's dumb for me to be so nervous about this because I want to be a neonatal surgeon, but it's scary. It's not this scary with adults," she admitted.

To her surprise, Meredith revealed, "I'm always just a little more nervous when it's a baby or a child. It's just…" She paused, drew in a breath, and looked up at Elena. "When I'm operating on a child, you and your brother and your sister always run through my mind. I just think, 'What if one of your lives was in someone else's hands? What if that someone made just one little mistake?' And I realize that somebody right outside in the waiting room is thinking the same thing about me. And it's terrifying."

"Then how do you deal with that? How can you operate when you're terrified that way?"

"Because I think about you and your brother and your sister," she smiled. "One day when you have children, that'll make sense."

…

After the surgery, Elena, Brennan, and Piper stood in the locker room, relishing in what they had just seen.

"That was _so_ awesome. Unbelievably amazing," Piper remarked as she buttoned up her shirt, changing to go home for the night.

"Yeah, it was pretty great, wasn't it?" Elena agreed happily.

Brennan nodded. "Beyond words."

"Too bad Whit didn't get to watch. He's, like, stuck to Nora's side, though. It's sweet in a way," Piper said, and Elena and Brennan glanced at each other before staring at her.

With a raised eyebrow, Elena teased, "Does our little Piper have a crush?"

Piper's face fell flat as she stared back at her friend. With a tiny hint of fluster in her speech, she remarked, "Oh, you aren't serious? Elle, it's _Whit_. He's just not crushable."

"That's too bad," Brennan replied ambiguously, shaking his head.

The comment, however, caught Piper's attention. "What do you know, Brennan?" she demanded.

"Doesn't matter."

"Elle, make him tell me!" Piper whined, unintentionally sounding very much like a four-year-old. Interns were all a strange, inexplicable mix of adult and child.

Elena's pager went off unexpectedly. "Weird. It's from the Nurses' Station," she remarked because she certainly wasn't on call tonight. With a quick kiss, she told Brennan, "I guess I'll meet up with you at home, okay?" And to Piper, she smiled, "Just don't beat him up, okay? I don't need a patient at home, too."

"You paged?" she asked a young nurse when she got there.

"Telephone for you; it's urgent. It's about your sister."

Almost hesitantly, she reached for the phone; Aida was supposed to be at the apartment working on a project for school. Elena wasn't used to being on this side of potentially bad news—usually doctors were the ones who had to tell others—but she knew that if Aida needed her, she would have to be there. "Hello?"

…

Ten minutes later, Elena walked into The Emerald City Bar. It wasn't a place that she had personally frequented, mostly because by the time she was old enough, she had already moved away to go to college. However, she wasn't a complete stranger to her Uncle Joe's bar, and visiting her parents' old stomping ground usually brought a smile to her face; there were a lot of memories and stories in the old bar.

But as she spotted her little sister flirting and giggling at the bar, all thoughts of reminiscing left her mind. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded sternly.

Aida, however, either didn't notice her sister's anger or just didn't care. "Hey, Ellie! Do you know my new friend, Court? He's a surgeon, too. He knows Mom and Dad."

Whatever patience or tolerance she had for her fellow intern had now vanished. And she knew that it wasn't his fault, but at that moment, she didn't care. "I hate to break it to you, but she's seventeen so back off."

"Eighteen in, like, two weeks," Aida amended, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Ellie, you're starting to be way too much like Mom. Lighten up; don't you remember what it was like to be young?" To Court, she whispered quite loudly, "My sister thinks that she's the boss of everything."

Had the situation been different, Elena would have noticed the peculiar look that crossed his face. However, she just breathed a sigh of relief when he stood and announced, "I think I'm just gonna let you two figure this out."

"What the hell? He was hot! What's your freaking problem?" she yelled angrily at her sister.

The tequila on Aida's breath was hard to miss. "God, how much have you had to drink?" she asked but turned to Joe for an answer.

"I swear she was like this when she got here." She came in with some college guys that are here every once in a while, but I figured it would be best for her to go home with you. I was going to call Meredith or Derek, but…"

"Yeah, I know. They're about one step away from sending her off to a convent," Elena nodded and began the process of getting Aida up off the barstool. "Thanks for looking out for her, Joe."

"Anytime."

"Just so you know, you're going to school tomorrow whether you have a hangover or not," she fumed as she guided her sister into the passenger seat of her car a few moments later.

"I should've told him to call Hayden. He's over the whole yelling at me thing. Now he just stares in disappointment, which I rather because it's much quieter."

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Aida? I'm worried about you."

"You're worried about _you_. I'm under your roof, so I'm your responsibility." She then, very overdramatically wondered aloud, "Whatever would Mother and Father say if they knew you let such things happen while I was under your supervision? The scandal!"

But Elena shook her head. "This is so not even about them. You're my baby sister; believe it or not, I do care what happens to you. I love you, Aida."

"Could you just not be perfect for a minute? "

"What are you talking about?" she wondered, almost certain that Aida's incoherence was courtesy of the alcohol.

"Here I am, telling you that you only care about yourself—of course you don't—but then you have to go and be nice to me about it." After a brief pause, she added, "You wanna know why I'm doing this? Because what else is there for me to do that you and Hayden haven't done perfectly already?"

"Aida, that isn't true."

Now sobbing, Aida revealed, "Yes, it is. By the time you were my age, you were already accepted into medical school! You've followed in their footsteps, and you're gonna be a brilliant surgeon one day. You're married to Brennan, who's perfect, too, and you've never done anything that would make them less than proud of you. When Hayden was my age, he was engaged to the love of his life; they're this sickeningly sweet married couple that everyone secretly wants to be. He's a successful businessman, and within the next few years, he'll probably be running the company. Nothing I do can ever compare, so why bother?"

"Sweetie, no," Elena whispered, grabbing her sister's hand. "Don't think things like that, okay? There are so many things about you that I admire. I mean, you've got the courage to stand up for what you think, to say what's on your mind no matter what. I wish I could do that."

"I love you, Ellie; I really do. But sometimes I hate that I'm your sister."

…

After spending the rest of their ride in silence, Elena helped Aida upstairs, into the apartment, and into the bathroom. "I'm going to get your pajamas, okay? Just… stay in here."

"What's going on?" Brennan wondered, emerging from their bedroom. He looked like he had already been asleep for hours, although Elena knew that he couldn't have been home more than thirty minutes.

"Aida," she said simply, and he nodded in understanding. "I'll be to bed a little later," she promised and returned to her sister's side.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," the seventeen-year-old sobbed, but Elena was sure that she was more sorry about the fact she was starting to feel the after-effects of her binge.

"Don't worry about it," she whispered, kneeling down beside her little sister and taking her into her arms. "Do you think you're okay enough to change into your pajamas? I'll help you."

Thirty minutes after he heard Elena put Aida to bed in the guest bedroom and start up the shower, Brennan started to worry when he ceased to hear anymore movement.

"Elle, you okay?" he asked through the closed bathroom door but received no response. Worriedly, he opened the door. "Elle?"

The shower door was open and the water was running. Elena, however, was sitting on the shower floor with her legs drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked up at him, wordlessly, although her red, tearful eyes spoke volumes. However, even in her tears, she was beyond beautiful.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Bren, does it seem like I think I'm better than other people?"

Grabbing a towel, he handed it to her before sitting down beside her despite the still-running shower. "What? No, of course not. Why do you think that? Did Aida say something? 'Cause if she did, I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"Since when does Aida say something that she doesn't mean?" she questioned, and his silence was answer enough. "You know, I don't think I wanna talk about this anymore."

"Okay," he nodded then grinned mischievously. "I know something that'll make you feel better."

Elena laughed. She missed this—the joking and the laughter and the playfulness that they had in the beginning. Ever since they started as interns, it seemed like there was less and less time for all those things. "Sex can't fix everything, you know."

"You don't know that until you try."

Elena giggled loudly as Brennan shut the shower door.


	6. Chapter 6: The Great Escape

Hey, guys! Sorry it's been so long since an update, but I've just been so busy with school and exams and all of that. Hopefully, things will be a little more slow-paced for the next few weeks, so I can get back to the important things like updating my story! ;)

**_Chapter Six: The Great Escape_**

_Hey, child, things are looking down  
__That's okay; you don't need to win anyways  
__Don't be afraid; just eat up all the grey  
__And it will fade away  
__Don't let yourself fall down  
__Bad day, looking for the great escape_

Patrick Watson

…

"Ellie, please don't make me go to school today," Aida pleaded hoarsely from beneath the covers the following morning as her sister went into the bedroom to wake her. "I'll do anything you want if you don't make me go."

"Okay, fine," she smiled. She knew that, for a while at least, Aida wouldn't be giving them so much trouble. But she also knew that old habits were hard to break, and this wouldn't be the last time Aida acted up. "You have to go back to Dad and Meredith's, though. I know you don't want to, but I think you should. This is your last year with them before you start out on your own, and I don't want you to miss out."

Momentarily peeking out from under the covers, Aida looked up at her sister. "Miss out on them yelling at me all the time?"

"They do not yell at you all the time," Elena pointed out in her sister's overly-dramatic reply. "They worry about you; they only want what's best for you, Aida, even though sometimes it might seem like they're always on your case."

"I wish they would just realize that I'm _not_ you and I'm _not_ Hayden. But maybe just being me isn't good enough. I don't make them proud."

Elena sat down on the edge of the bed and tucked a stray bit of hair behind her sister's ear. "You don't have to be us. You just need to figure out who _you_ are, and then things will start to fall into place. You'll find direction instead of wandering through life aimlessly. Then it'll get better."

"But what if I don't figure it out? I don't like medicine or business or anything like that. I like to write, but where's that gonna get me?"

"As far as you'll let it," Elena winked. "Bren doesn't have to be at the hospital until this afternoon, so he'll bring you home later," she added, then left her sister to think about things.

Twenty minutes later, Elena was once again checking on Nora and Colin in the NICU before rounds. She found it odd that none of the other interns were in there, but she enjoyed the rare time alone with them.

"Hey, guys, how are you this morning?" she whispered as she flipped through Colin's chart, then Nora's. Both babies appeared to be doing very well—or as well as could be expected given their predicaments. And at least they weren't worse.

"I'll be back to see you guys later, okay? I'm on call tonight, so we'll hang out," she told them as though they could understand her perfectly.

In the locker room, Elena found it odd as she was met with blank stares and indistinguishable, although growing, whispering from the other interns as she walked past. She was used to people whispering about her wherever she went, but these people couldn't know the things about her that were worthy of whispering about. "Everyone is so weird today," she remarked to Piper, expecting a friendly agreement.

However, all Elena got was another blank stare and silence as Piper walked away.

"Okay, seriously, what's going on?" she demanded to Whit, who was also looking at her very strangely. "Am I unaware that I have the _plague_ or something?"

"It's done, Elle. We know."

"Know… what?"

He sighed. "Everyone knows that your parents are Shepherd and Montgomery. Figures you'd want to keep the secret of your success an actual secret, but someone's ratted you out. Sucks that you were such a prodigy growing up; somebody got a hold to a bunch of old newspaper articles and sort of… made some weird shrine to you. It's over there," he answered, pointing to the area where a small crowd was still standing, no doubt catching up on the news that the others already knew.

A sick, sharp feeling jolted through Elena's stomach just then. Suddenly, she felt alone. However, a moment later, things got much, much worse.

"So, I hear we've got a celebrity among us. Dr. Elena Parker, formerly known as Elena Montgomery-Shepherd," Patton announced loudly to the room, and she could hear the twisted happiness in his voice. And if she thought she was alone a moment ago, it was nothing compared to now.

…

"Welcome to the wonderful world of scut," Court said, a bit too cheerfully, as he joined Elena in the abandoned hallway.

"Yeah, it's just fantastic," Elena agreed in unenthusiastic sarcasm, not even bothering to look up at him.

"Well, it's not like _you_ can't get out of it," he remarked.

This time, Elena did look up, staring at him angrily, "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, although she was sure she already knew.

"You're acting like you couldn't just get Shepherd or Montgomery or even the Chief to override Patton's assignment."

Taken aback by the accusation, she insisted, "I won't do that. I would never use my parents' status just to…" However, at that moment, she paused as a realization came to her. "It was _you_, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"You're the one who did it. At the bar last night, you realized it. And today, you used it against me."

Knowing that he had been figured out, Court answered, "I thought it would get me out of scut for Patton. So much for that." With a grin, he added, "But at least I've got company now."

Unexpectedly, Elena smiled and said suddenly, "The awesome thing about being raised by surgeons is that I'm already amazing with a scalpel. Maybe I can give you a private demonstration sometime."

"Uh… I, um…" he stammered, not quite sure whether or not she was serious. However, his better judgment told him that she could probably make it look like an accident should she actually decide to give him a scalpel demonstration. "I just remembered something that I have to go do."

"I figured you might," she said, although it was to herself as Court had already hurried away. She shook her head and returned to her tedious scut work, utterly convinced that it would never end.

"I thought for sure you'd be up in the NICU," Alex smiled a few minutes later as he sat down beside Elena, looking for a moment at the paperwork scattered all around her. "What're you doing down here all alone?"

"Hiding. And hating Court. And doing scut," she sighed, scribbling something at the top of a patient's chart. "Evidently, my mere existence is enough to completely ostracize me, and the General definitely didn't hesitate."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I heard about that. I could fix it for you, but I think we both know that's exactly what he wants."

"I just hate that it's a win-win situation for him either way. If I go to any of you, that proves him right and he wins. And if I don't, then I'm miserable, and he wins anyway," she sighed, shaking her head. "So, I'm just gonna put a smile on my face, do the charts without a word of complaint, and wait for him to get bored with torturing me."

He gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "That's all you can do, really. But it'll get easier. As attendings and residents, it's our job to challenge our interns, to make you better surgeons by being hard on you." After a pause, he added, "Unfortunately, Patton is just a jerk either way. I know you, though, Elle; you can take a challenge."

Hearing his words of encouragement made her feel a little better—but only a little. She knew that if she was going to survive this, it was going to take every bit of courage and strength she could find within herself. "I hope so."

"Every intern gets hell from _somebody_ at one point or another," he assured her. "Meredith got hell for dating your dad—an intern and an attending, you know. And Meredith, Cristina, and I pretty much tortured Lexie, even after she'd finished her first year," he grinned. Then suddenly, he laughed out loud as he recalled, "But the worst was your mom and me. Oh, God, I used to piss her off all the time, and of course, she would torture me for it."

"Seriously?" she wondered laughingly. Her mother and Alex had always seemed to get along extremely well, so it was hard to believe that at one time, they had been at one another's throats.

"Oh, yeah. She had me put on her service indefinitely—and that was back when I was still interested in Plastics so you can imagine how miserable I was. I thought she was just being a bitch, you know, but she had a lot to teach me. When I finally stopped whining and decided to learn, I realized that it was really where I wanted to be."

"Do you think I'll end up switching? I mean, I'm pretty sure that I'm set on neonatal, but you thought you had decided, too."

But Alex shook his head. "You want your specialty for the right reasons. I've seen you in the NICU watching over the babies, even when you were younger. It's what makes you happy; it's what you love. One day, you'll have this moment when you'll just _know_, and things will start to make a lot more sense."

"When was _your_ moment?" she wondered.

"When we delivered you," he smiled. "You were this tiny little thing with dark hair and green eyes, and as soon as I was holding you, I just knew. It was you, Green Eyes."

…

Ten minutes later, Alex was sitting in the cafeteria at a table with Izzie, Meredith, Cristina, and George—it had been their weekly tradition for years. "I think Elle is gonna be all right. She's taking it like a real trooper; it just kills me that I can't do anything except watch her be miserable."

"Those jerks," Meredith fumed as she stared down at her salad. "I know I'm supposed to stay objective, but… they're making my baby miserable, so _I_ want to make _them_ miserable."

"Easy, tiger," Cristina teased. "Besides, Sloan is doing a great job of that already. That Court kid is gonna run home crying to Mommy and Daddy sooner or later. Sloan and I actually have a bet; I say he'll stick it out for at least a few more months, but he's betting that he'll be gone before two months pass."

"Oh, are you _serious_?" Izzie demanded, and everyone nodded. "How much do I need to get in on it?"

Of course, everyone laughed even though Izzie was completely serious. As interns and young doctors, they used to make bets on everything. Ten says she'll make it; thirty says they'll find a tumor. They weren't really quite sure why they did it, but it never failed to happen. Maybe it was because it gave them the illusion of power over the inevitable that they faced every single day. If they won the bet, maybe they won, for a fleeting moment, over fate as well.

"Well, on a brighter note, Aida called earlier, and she's decided to come home," Meredith added cheerfully.

"See? I told you she'd come around," Izzie affirmed. "That time with Elena was good for her. Elle has a way of opening your eyes, you know?" she remarked, and they all agreed. "Oh, and speaking of the kids, Josh is starting as quarterback during tonight's game, and I know he'd love it if all of you could make it."

"He is?" Alex questioned, surprised by the news. Usually Josh told him those sorts of things first.

"Yeah, but he wanted to surprise you. Just act surprised, okay?"

"Olivia and I will definitely be there," George confirmed. After all, he could never miss his godson's big game.

"Well, you know that Burke and I will be there, too. Aaron is determined to break something, so I guess we should be there in case," Cristina added. She hated that her youngest son played the sport, but it made him happy, so she let him.

"We'll be there, of course," Meredith smiled. "I don't think Derek has missed a game since Hayden played. He just loves that stuff."

Not long afterwards, Meredith's pager went off. "Remember the good old days when _we_ were the ones who got to screw up and have someone fix it?" she laughed. "I'll see you guys tonight." However, she stared down at her pager once more and shook her head. "Oh, my God. What in the world? Never a dull moment here."


	7. Chapter 7: Let That Be Enough

**_Chapter Seven: Let That Be Enough_**

_I wish I had what I needed to be on my own  
'Cause I feel so defeated and I'm feeling alone  
And it all seems so helpless and I have no plans  
I'm a plane in the sunset with nowhere to land  
And all I see, it could never make me happy  
And all my sand castles spend their time collapsing  
Let me know that you hear me, let me know your touch  
Let me know that you love me, and let that be enough_

Switchfoot

…

"_Let me out of here! I want my lawyer! You can't make me stay here!"_

Meredith cringed as she heard the young girl screaming from inside the ER. She was tempted to leave the page unanswered—first, it was a page from Court, and second, it was probably Psych and not Surgery—but she knew it would be irresponsible not to answer. She had to momentarily put her emotions aside and put her patient first.

"What've we got?"

"A very angry, pissed off person!" the girl yelled as she pulled violently on her arm restraints. "Are you the boss of this idiot? Tell him to let me _go_! Nothing's wrong with me!"

"Kody Sanders, age thirteen. Brought in from The Tanner School after experiencing severe behavioral changes, hemiparesis, and vomiting. Psych wants her cleared before admitting," Court reported, eyeing Kody cautiously all the while.

Meredith knew that The Tanner School was the place they sent the kids who were pretty much beyond any other help. Yet even with that knowledge, as much as she wanted to think that it was all just an act for attention, she had a feeling about this girl that there was more. "Okay, she's all yours, then. You know the drill; do all the tests, and if she's clear, page Psych."

"But… Dr. Grey?"

"What?"

Court, however, paused hesitantly. He knew very well that Meredith wasn't going to make this easy for him or offer more advice than was necessary, but he wasn't at all sure how to go about handling a patient like Kody Sanders, who was determined to challenge him to the breaking point as well. "How am I supposed to, you know, get her in the machines when she's liable to run away at any minute? Am I supposed to sedate her or something? Can I even do that?"

"You can't touch me! You don't have my consent!" Kody shouted.

Meredith just smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. But just to be safe, don't do anything until her social worker gets here," she told him as her pager went off again. "Enjoy."

Her next page, however, caused her heart to race; it was from the NICU, and she had the sinking feeling she knew exactly why. And her fears were only intensified when she got there and saw both Derek and Addison—not to mention a _very_ worried Piper—hovering around one of the incubators. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd. Colin started seizing, and I freaked out and paged everyone because I didn't know what to do," Piper said frantically as Meredith hurried over to them. "I couldn't think, and I was just so scared."

"You did the right thing," Meredith assured her. She remembered the days of her own internship, so filled with fear and uncertainty, and did her best to be mindful of that when dealing with new interns. "Okay, we've got to get him to surgery right away; he needs a shunt because all the fluid is pushing against his brain and making him seize. Call the OR and tell them we're coming up."

"I'll go talk to Amy about this," Addison sighed, hear heart heavy for the young woman who had already been through so much. "Piper, I want you to keep a very close watch on Nora. She's your main priority, and I want you to stay here and monitor her."

"Yes, Dr. Montgomery," she agreed as Addison left to speak with the babies' mother.

"Is there anything you need me to cover?" Derek wondered, trying to give her a little ease in this very stressful situation. He knew that Meredith's worst fear was losing a child on the operating table.

She nodded and said hurriedly, "Yeah, I have a kid in the ER waiting on some test results, so if you could cover her for me, that would be great. Just let Court know to page you."

"All right," he nodded and kissed her cheek, and soon Piper found herself alone with Nora.

Yesterday, Piper probably would have laughed to Whit and Elena about how sweet and adorable the Doctors Shepherd were and recount the scene to them. Whit would have just shaken his head at her and called her a hopeless romantic. And Elena would have smiled her mysterious, knowing smile and remarked that she hoped she and Brennan would still be in love that way after so many years. Now, however, Piper understood the meaning behind Elena's smile; she had probably been witness to such scenes countless times throughout her life. Deep down, she knew that her anger toward Elena wasn't even really Elena's fault, but she was too prideful to apologize just yet.

So instead, she sat alone, stroking Nora's tiny arm and wishing her best friend was sitting beside her.

…

"Aida?" Addison wondered, surprised to see the youngest Shepherd child wondering through the hallway. Usually, Aida avoided the hospital at all costs.

"Hey, Addie," she smiled weakly.

"Oh, Sweetheart. You look like hell," Addison laughed. "And I'm willing to bet you feel worse, don't you?"

Aida nodded, which consequently sent the room spinning for a moment. "I don't think I've ever thrown up that much in my entire life," she confided. Out of all the adults in her life, she found it easiest to confide in Addison. Of course, she knew just as much of the story as any of the children did—that Addison and her father had once been married. What she didn't know was exactly why they had gotten a divorce in the first place, but she was fairly sure that even Elena didn't know that.

"Have you had any lunch yet?" Addison wondered, and when Aida said that she hadn't, she offered, "Well, if you're hungry, I'm buying."

"Okay," she agreed and let herself be led arm-in-arm to the cafeteria.

"So, what're you doing here, anyway?" Addison asked once they had gotten their food and were seated at a table. "Is everything all right?"

However, before she could answer, Mark spotted them and made his way over. "Hey, Squirt. You get hit by a car or something?" he teased before kissing Addison on the cheek.

"I got hit by tequila," she teased back; even though Mark was her father's best friend, she knew he would never tell on her. In truth, she was pretty sure that he found her amusing. After all, she was the black sheep of the family—a pun that was eerily appropriate. "I guess that's kind of why I'm here. I need a note because I didn't exactly make it to school today."

"No problem. Consider it done," Mark assured her, and Addison slapped his arm.

"Don't you think that this is something you shouldn't meddle in?" she questioned. She and Mark had always been involved in the lives of Derek's children, but she knew that there was a line that shouldn't be crossed.

"Oh, come on," he laughed. "The hangover is probably punishment enough, and she's young and needs to experience the world while she still has that youthful energy and vibrancy."

"Thank you, Uncle Mark!" she grinned and got up to hug him tightly. "And you, too, Addie. Really, you guys rock."

"I have a feeling your mom and dad would beg to differ," Addison sighed as Aida wrapped her arms around Addison's neck.

…

"They said you were down here."

"Oh, Bren! Thank God," Elena whispered excitedly, jumping up off the old gurney and running to embrace her husband.

I heard about everything that happened.

"I hate Court Christensen, Bren," she started to fume. "Can you believe what he did? What an ass. And I can't believe everyone else is taking his side about this. I mean, _seriously_?"

"Yeah."

But his tone caught her attention. "What? You don't think he's an ass?"

"No, I definitely do."

"Then what is it?" she wondered.

Brennan sighed. "It's just… maybe you shouldn't have kept this from everyone, you know?"

She stared at him in silence for a moment, unable to find words. That certainly wasn't the response she'd expected… not from him. "You can't be serious. Brennan, you're my _husband_. You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"I _am_ on your side, Elle. I'm just saying—"

But before he could finish, Elena's pager went off. Handing him all her scattered files, she said, "It's the ER. They're shorthanded. And whatever you were going to say, just don't, okay? You've said enough for now."

"What do we have?" she questioned the EMT as soon as she arrived in the ER.

"Lukas Falke, age eighty-five. Witnesses said he was sitting down at the café he goes to every afternoon and just collapsed—stroke. He's got a history."

Elena's heart sank as she recognized those pale blue eyes. This was the old man from the graveyard. _Lukas Falke_, she thought, finally being able to put a name to his face. "Someone page Dr. Shepherd, stat!" she ordered, taking hold of Lukas' hand. "It's okay. You'll be okay," she whispered, although she was also trying to convince herself.

"What's going on?" Derek wondered, surprised to find Elena in the ER.

Completely forgetting that she was a surgeon, Elena momentarily became a frightened little girl that found comfort in her father, the hero who would undoubtedly save the day. "Daddy, you have to help him," she whispered pleadingly.

"Have an OR cleared," Derek instructed then turned to his daughter. "And Princess, you're scrubbing in on this one."

…

_Okay, so I know that technically, they'd have to run all kinds of tests to determine a stroke and the proper medical treatment, but I'm gonna just use the "Medical technology is far more advanced 20 years from now" excuse. _


	8. Chapter 8: The Heart of Life

Sorry this took so long, guys! Midterms are next week, so maybe I'll be able to find more free time to write after then! Anyway, hope you enjoy. :)

**_Chapter Eight: The Heart of Life_**

_I hate to see you cry  
Lying there in that position  
There's things you need to hear  
So turn off your tears and listen  
Pain throws your heart to the ground  
Love turns the whole thing around  
No, it won't all go the way it should  
But I know the heart of life is good_

John Mayer

…

Derek couldn't help but smile at Elena, who was standing next to him scrubbing out after Mr. Falke's operation. There was a look on her face—the look that interns wore after a successful operation—that was so full of hope and amazement that he started to feel that way, too.

"I hope he'll be okay," she sighed. "He's such a nice man." Then looking up to see her father's questioning stare, she further explained, "We only met once, a few days ago. I went to see Leni, and he was there to see his wife, and we just… had a moment."

He nodded thoughtfully. Elena was one of the few people he knew who could "have a moment" with a complete stranger; there was just something about her that got people to open up. Maybe it was because people could tell she was someone who would truly care. "We've done all we can do; the rest is up to him," Derek answered, but he did his best to sound hopeful.

She smiled at his reply. "I'm on call tonight, so I'll be able to keep an eye on him," she said thoughtfully. "I don't want to be home anyway."

The remark surprised him. "Is everything okay?"

"Bren and I are fighting. He thinks that I shouldn't have kept who I was a secret—that I should've just admitted it from the beginning. He thinks he's right, and I think I'm right, so now there's silence," she sighed as they walked out into the hallway. "We've been married for three months and we're already not talking," she laughed, but she didn't find it funny at all. "It's… harder than I thought it would be. All of it—being married, being a surgeon… being an adult."

"I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't," he smiled as she looked at him. "Maybe one day it will, but I know I haven't figured it out yet."

For the moment, Elena felt better. Just hearing him admit that, even after all this time, he still didn't know all the answers took a lot of weight off her shoulders. If he hadn't figured it all out yet and was nonetheless this happy with such a good life, then she knew that there was hope. "Thank you, Daddy."

"For what?" he asked, wondering what he had done to earn her smile.

"You always know the right thing to say."

"Dr. Parker, can I have a word with you?"

Elena cringed as she recognized Patton's voice behind her, and she realized what would be coming next would probably be pure torture. Derek looked at her, silently offering to help, but she only shook her head slightly. This was _her_ battle, after all. "Yes, Dr. Patton?"

"So, I see that you were assisting your father this afternoon. I believe that I said—" he started, but Elena interrupted.

"All the charts are finished; they're perfect. The labs have been delivered, and everything you told me to do has been done."

Meanwhile, as Derek watched from a distance, Mark—who looked as if he was on his way home—joined him and remarked, "I _hate_ that guy."

Derek nodded thoughtfully in agreement. He knew that everything he was feeling at that very moment—the hopelessness and anger and frustration of watching Elena and just having to stand by doing nothing instead of rescuing her—Mark was feeling it, too. Years ago, he wouldn't have pinned Mark for that guy, and he certainly wouldn't have chosen him to help raise his daughter, but Mark had surprisingly come through. He had changed, and Derek was thankful to once again have his friend back. And since none of them had grown up with the best experience with fathers, Derek was so thankful that Elena actually had two.

After a moment of watching them, Patton stormed away leaving Elena looking as though she was on the verge of tears. Derek moved toward her, but Mark stopped him suddenly. "I'll get this one, man. You go ahead to your football game."

Derek sighed and hesitantly left his little girl entrusted into Mark's care. He hated to leave her this way, but he knew that Mark would have everything under control.

"Hey, Peanut. Have a minute to talk?" Mark wondered as he walked up to Elena, who proceeded to take a deep breath and force a smile.

"Okay," she agreed, her voice tired and small.

"So, talk to me. You know the drill. You tell me your problem, and I tell you how to fix it. And if I can't fix it, I buy you ice cream," he said with a grin.

Although Derek was and always would be her father, Elena also loved her relationship with her stepfather. Most of the time, he was like a big kid; he always had some witty remark or a smile on his face as though he knew a secret that no one else did. But at the same time, Elena knew Mark's serious side; throughout her mother's battle with cancer, he had been there. He had been her rock. He was the only other person who had seen that moment in time through her eyes, and the understanding they shared had formed an unbreakable bond.

"I'm just… I don't know what to do. It seems like everything is falling apart all of a sudden, and it keeps getting worse. Bren and I are fighting, the other interns hate me, Patton is doing his best to make my life hell—it's just all too much. Right now, at this moment, I honestly don't know if it's worth it," she confessed.

Elena hadn't even realized that they were outside the front of the hospital until Mark sat down on a bench and motioned for her to do the same. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, okay?" he offered, and she nodded. "The funny thing about life is that it usually doesn't go the way you expect. You think you've got things all figured out, and all of a sudden, everything falls to crap. But when that happens, you've got two options. One, you give up and walk away and accept it. Or two, you do something to make it right again."

"But _how_ do I make this right?" she questioned, desperately hoping he would have an answer. She hated it when there were more questions than answers.

"You're a smart girl—a smart woman. You'll figure it out. It might take some time, but I know you will," he assured her. "Did I help, or do you need ice cream?"

She laughed and replied, "You helped. It's getting late, and I know Mom is probably waiting for you, so we'll save the ice cream for another day, okay?"

He kissed her atop her head and stood to go. "It's a date. Oh, by the way, I have a rhinoplasty tomorrow. You want in?"

But she shook her head. "Give it to Piper Mitchell; she's interested in Plastics, and she deserves it."

"Piper Mitchell. Okay, got it. No more tears, all right?" he winked and walked away, leaving Elena alone to ponder his advice.

…

"Oh… Um, I'll come back later," Elena said abruptly, finding Whit in the NICU. She hadn't even known that he was going to be on call that evening, too, but she knew that the twins would be fine under his watchful eye.

But to her surprise, he called out as she was walking away, "You can stay if you want. I know you're having a rough time, so I won't be that guy who kicks you when you're already down."

"Thank you, Whit," she whispered in relief as she pulled up a seat beside him. "How are they? I heard about Collin."

"He's doing okay now. It's all just a big waiting game, I guess," he shrugged as little Nora gripped tightly to his finger. "So, what about you? Are you okay? Brennan said you yelled at him."

"I did _not_ yell," she insisted, noting Whit's coy grin.

"You don't look like the type to yell," he agreed teasingly. "But… you guys are gonna be okay, won't you? Being an intern is already stressful, but also being a newlywed and trying to balance it…"

It surprised Elena just how touched she was at his concern. She knew the powerful bond that formed between interns—she had seen it first hand—and now she was experiencing it personally. Two months ago, they were strangers; and now, sitting here in this room, completely silent except for the monitors and the occasional passer-by in the hall, they were one another's life support.

"I think we'll be okay. We're just both really stubborn, so it might take awhile, but eventually one of us will cave and apologize," she admitted, finding herself hardly angry at her husband anymore.

Whit nodded. "Being stuck on scut must suck; Court deserves it, but… you totally don't. Patton's such a jerk."

"Yeah, he is. I wonder what happened to make them that way?"

Surprised, Whit stared at her for a minute. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"Both of them are pure evil to you, without provocation, and you're assuming that once upon a time, they used to actually be human. Don't you think it's possible that some people are just… like that? That they were just born that way?"

But she shook her head. "I don't believe that. Nobody is all good or all evil. Maybe they're one a little more than the other, but there's some combination of the two."

"If you say so," he laughed. Then, suddenly becoming serious, he asked out of nowhere, "Not counting all the stuff that happened today, you and Piper are pretty close, right? I mean, she tells you stuff?"

"Yeah, she does," Elena nodded.

"Does she… Well, has she ever…" he started to ask, finding himself stumbling over the question that he was trying to ask.

However, Elena knew exactly what he was wondering. "Whit, do you like Piper?"

He sighed and was still for a moment before finally admitting, "I think I might love her. It's just… I don't know. I've never met anyone who makes me feel like she does. Everything about her—the way she looks, her personality, even that expression she gets when someone says something that she thinks is completely ridiculous—just everything." As soon as he'd spoken, however, he tried to shrug it off by adding, "But it's probably stupid, right? I mean, she has a boyfriend."

"I don't think it's stupid. You can't help who you love," Elena replied, placing her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"What do I do?" he wondered, desperate for an answer that Elena didn't have.

"I don't know. If it's supposed to happen, it will. I guess I believe in fate, too," she smiled. "Until then, just be her friend; be there for her. Loving someone means wanting the best for them, right?" When he nodded in agreement, she concluded, "Okay, then. I have to go check on another patient, but I'll come back a little later. I'll bring coffee."

When Elena got to the ICU, a nurse named Kirby stopped her and reported, "He's awake now. He's asking for someone named Liesel. His wife?"

"Yeah. I'll take care of it. Thanks," she nodded and walked into his room. "Mr. Falke, I don't know if you remember me, but we met a few days ago," she said softly as she took a seat beside his bed.

"I remember," he said quietly, his words halting and a little slurred. "What… happened?"

"You had a stroke and needed an operation, but we're taking very good care of you and will do everything we can to get you better. You're at Seattle Grace Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit. Does that make sense?" she wondered, taking his hand into both of hers.

"But… my Liesel? I need… to see my Liesel," he whispered pleadingly, bringing tears once again to Elena's eyes.

"I have a feeling that Liesel will be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes," she assured him gently. "In the meantime, you're stuck with me, all right?"

A weak smile formed across his face as he answered, "I could not think of better company. I am glad our paths crossed again."

"Me too," she nodded, taking in the calmness that seemed to surround him. She was almost certain that he was one of those rare people who _did_ have things all figured out, and if he was willing to share his secrets, she was more than happy to learn them.


	9. Chapter 9: Breathe Me

**_Chapter Nine: Breathe Me_**

_Help, I have done it again  
I have been here many times before  
Hurt myself again today  
And the worst part is there's no one else to blame  
Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small and needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me_

Sia

…

"Leah Jade Carson, what did I tell you about opening grown-ups' bedroom doors without knocking?" Meredith heard a familiar voice shout as her sister's eight-year-old daughter suddenly jumped into their bed and threw her arms excitedly around Meredith's neck.

"Auntie Mer! And Uncle Derek!" the little girl squealed as she proceeded to tackle Derek, who was still half-asleep. "I missed you!"

"Oh, thank God," Lexie sighed as she stood in their doorway, relieved to find the scene "appropriate."

Meredith looked at the clock and saw that it was just a little past four in the morning. "I thought you guys weren't getting in until eight? Not that I'm not happy to see you," she yawned as Leah settled into her arms contentedly. "And how in the world did you get in here?"

Lexie sat down on the edge of the bed and explained, "There were two seats on standby for an earlier flight, and since we were already at the airport, I figured, 'Why not?' And that spare key has been in the same place for fifteen years, at least."

"What's going on?" Aida wondered sleepily, with Annie in tow, as she walked slowly into her parents' bedroom. But as she recognized the faces that went with the extra voices, a smile immediately crossed her face. "Aunt Lexie! And hey, Leah! It's so good to see you guys," she said happily, hugging them both before nonchalantly settling herself into the bed next to her mother.

It was the little things like this that Meredith both cherished and missed the most. It had been a long time since Aida had been the wide-eyed four-year-old who clung to her side and told her every detail of her day. Still, moments like this gave her hope that the little girl she used to know was still in there somewhere.

"So, when is Uncle Matt getting in? Or is he staying in Chicago?" Aida wondered.

"Chicago," Lexie sighed with a half-smile that immediately told Meredith that something wasn't right. "He's been really swamped at work lately, you know?"

Meredith nodded sympathetically. When Leah was born, Lexie had made the decision to turn in her scalpel and become a full-time mother. Although she knew that her sister desperately missed the OR, she also knew that Lexie had never regretted the decision.

"Okay, c'mon, Leah. We should let everyone get back to sleep," Lexie decided, taking Leah's hand. "Good night, you guys. I'm so sorry we woke you up like this; I'll make breakfast, okay?"

"Something's not right," Meredith whispered as soon as Lexie and Leah were gone. "I'm worried about them."

"You think she and Uncle Matt are having problems?" Aida wondered as she crawled under the covers, just as Annie hopped onto the bed and made herself comfortable lying across their feet.

"I'm sure she'll open up if something's wrong," Derek said sleepily in the gruff voice that was always inevitable when he had been woken abruptly.

"You're probably right," she agreed, although she wondered otherwise.

…

As soon as Elena got to the hospital that morning, Whit was immediately by her side. "What's up?" she wondered cheerfully, but upon seeing the expression on his face, she knew that something was terribly wrong. "Whit?"

"Nora died early this morning," he blurted out, and for a moment, Elena felt like she couldn't breathe. Before she could ask any questions, however, he continued. "Piper was on call when it happened, and you know how attached she was to the twins. We all were, even though we know better. But she's taking this really hard, and I think you're the only one who can get through to her."

"Whit, Piper doesn't want to talk to me."

"You're her best friend, Elle. And right now, she's holed up in the women's restroom sobbing, and I would go in there, but the attendings who pass by keep giving me weird looks. And honestly, _you're_ the only one she wants to see right now, in spite of everything."

"Okay, lead the way," Elena agreed and followed Whit to the elevators, where they stopped on the third floor.

As soon as Elena stepped into the room, she could hear Piper's stifled sobs coming from behind the only locked stall. "Piper, it's Elle. I know I'm not your favorite person in the world right now, but I'm really worried about you," she said gently, to be answered by quiet sniffling. "Piper, please?"

Addison, who had noticed Elena and Whit walking down the hallway, made her way to where Whit was standing alone. "Everything… all right in there, Dr. Whittaker?" she wondered, although she had seen both his and Piper's expressions earlier and knew otherwise. Even after all her years as a doctor, the loss of little Nora still broke her heart, too. She had just learned to hide it well.

"Elle is trying to get Piper to come back out," he answered, sounding a little bit helpless.

She nodded and immediately walked into the restroom herself, where she saw Elena standing face-to-face with a closed door. And even though she knew better than to interfere—that detachment was one of the most important lessons a young surgeon needed to learn—she worried that this would break the young woman beyond repair. "Piper, it's Dr. Montgomery. I understand that you're upset, but this is something that you need to talk about. The only way that we can help you is if you come out," she said in a gentle, motherly voice that had comforted Elena so many times.

And, much to both their surprise, Piper opened the door and looked up at them with her tearstained face.

Despite the young woman's silence, Addison could understand everything she wasn't saying; there was more to Piper Mitchell's story than either she or Elena knew. So, completely disregarding professionalism, she wrapped her arms softly around Piper and could almost feel her broken heart as she hugged her tightly back.

"Piper, today you'll be helping Elena with her scut work; I'll talk to Patton." And to her daughter, she wondered, "Are you all right, Sweetheart?" When Elena nodded, she smiled and instructed, "Then go take care of your friend."

Elena and Piper walked wordlessly past a very confused Whit, but Elena's simple nod let him know that after a while of girl-talk and probably a few more tears, everything would be okay.

Not very long after, they were sitting in their hallway; Piper's head was on Elena's shoulder and she was holding onto her friend's hand as though she might be pulled away by some unseen force if she let go.

Then, finally, Piper broke the silence. "Elle, I'm so sorry."

"Piper, it's okay. You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do," she interrupted. "I was horrible to you when you've been nothing but kind to me, and you deserve an apology. So… I'm sorry."

Elena smiled and assured her, "It's all right. If I had found out the same thing, I would've probably been pissed, too."

"It wasn't that. I know that you can't help who your parents are. It was just…" she started to explain but hesitated.

"What?"

With a sigh, Piper confessed, "I grew up bouncing from foster home to foster home; my dad bailed before I was born, and my mom was way too into drugs and alcohol to give a damn about me. Growing up, I always wondered what it would be like to have amazing parents—movie stars or political figures or… world-class surgeons. And when I found out that you had that… I was jealous." Forcing back a second bout of tears, she repeated quietly, "I was jealous, and I'm sorry."

"I've got four; I'll share with you," Elena offered, and Piper couldn't help but laugh despite her tears.

"Okay. What was it like, growing up with them? It must've been amazing."

She nodded. "I had a good childhood. It was kind of weird most of the time, and I practically grew up in this hospital, but it was good." After a brief pause, Elena confided, "Sometimes, I wonder what it would've been like to have a more traditional life, but I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't had my life. Things are the way they are for a reason."

Piper agreed, then wondered suddenly, "God, I can't believe that I seriously took _Court's_ side over yours. What was I thinking?"

"I have no idea."

"Are you on call tonight?"

"No."

"Come with me to that bar across the street when our shifts are done?" she requested. "We need a Girls' Night Out very badly."

"It's a date."

…

"Did you lose something?"

Brennan turned to see Dr. Miranda Bailey looking back at him questioningly. He knew her both as a brilliant surgeon and William's mother. But he also knew her as someone to whom he could look up… someone who had answers. Lately, she was preparing for her transition to Chief of Surgery since Dr. Burke would be retiring within the year, but even Brennan could immediately tell that she was one of those rare people who could take on such a responsibility.

"I'm sorry. What?" he asked, completely forgetting that she had spoken to him as he got lost momentarily in thought.

"I asked if you lost something," she repeated. "You've been wandering around this hallway for at least five minutes, and I know that first-year interns don't have five minutes to waste. So, you must have lost something." However, she then smiled knowingly and wondered, "What's wrong?"

"One of our neonatal cases died today."

"Okay. And you're upset about the baby?"

"Yeah, of course. But I know that Elle must be upset, too, and all I want to do is talk to her about it," he confessed. He hated that they were still fighting, but neither had broken and apologized yet.

"So, go talk to her," she said, as though she couldn't understand why such an obvious solution had evaded him.

"We aren't talking."

After giving him a look, she replied, "Then it's probably your fault. Go apologize."

"Why is it automatically my fault?" he questioned.

"'Cause I've known that child her _entire_ life, and if she's done something that she needs to apologize for, she will. And if she isn't apologizing, then it must be your fault."

Laughing, he answered, "Maybe you're right."

"I _know_ I'm right. Now, go do your rounds before that annoying fool resident of yours comes looking for you," she smiled and walked away.


	10. Chapter 10: Put Your Records On

There was an age question, so I just wanted to clear that up for you guys. Elena is 24 (she graduated extremely early, not to mention being ahead in school already), Brennan and Court are 29, Piper is 27, and Whit is 28. So that would put Meredith, Derek, and Co. at about late fifties/early sixties. (But I secretly still imagine them looking exactly the same. Haha.)

**_Chapter Ten:_** **_Put Your Records On_**

_Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's all right  
The more things seem to change,  
__The more they stay the same  
Oh, don't you hesitate  
Girl, put your records on,  
__Tell me your favorite song  
You go ahead, let your hair down  
Sapphire and faded jeans,  
__I hope you get your dreams,  
Just go ahead, let your hair down  
You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow_

Corinne Bailey Rae

…

"Come on! Do it!" Piper urged drunkenly, daring Elena to down her umpteenth shot of tequila for that evening.

But Elena, who rarely drank at all, shook her head. "I don't know, Piper. Maybe… we should take a break," she suggested as the room started to spin.

"You're missing the _point_, Elle. We are drowning our sorrows here so that we'll be so drunk that we won't remember why we started drinking in the first place," Piper explained and ended up doing the shot herself. "Another round, okay, Joe?"

"I think that maybe you two _should_ take a little break," he seconded and poured them each a glass of water. "So, who exactly would you two like me to call. 'Cause there's no way in hell either of you are driving home tonight. Should I call Brennan?"

"No!" Elena burst out suddenly, shaking her head in a very comical, childlike way. "You can't call Brennan. He'll _never_ let me live this down, and we aren't talking 'cause he's an ass. And I think he's on call anyway."

"O…kay," Joe chuckled, incredibly amused. "Then who should I call?"

Elena and Piper looked at one another as though he had just given them the task of explaining the meaning of life. However, just before Joe was about to suggest the cab, Whit walked into the bar and spotted them.

"Seriously?" he demanded as soon as he got close enough to tell that both of them were completely inebriated. "I just had my car cleaned. If either of you puke in it, I swear."

"We don't need _you_ to take care of us," Piper insisted. "So if you have issues with it, you can just see yourself out."

But Whit just sighed as he wrapped his arm around Piper to help her stand and replied, "You're right; I could leave. I probably should leave. I just know that if anything happened to either of you, it would kill me. Unfortunately, I care; so, maybe you don't need me to take care of you, but I need to make sure that I do."

Even despite the alcohol, Elena could tell that his words were sincere. For a brief moment, she watched the world become just the two of them; she watched the careful, loving way Whit took Piper into his arms assuring that she wouldn't fall and the way that Piper clung to him with nothing but trust.

"What are you grinning at, you goose?" Whit wondered teasingly as he noticed Elena staring at them.

"Nothing," she answered back, still smiling. "You can just take us to my house, okay? She's way more drunk than I am, and I don't want her going home alone," she said as she took hold of Whit's other arm. "'Bye, Joe!"

"See you, Elle. Hopefully not too soon, though," he called back, still laughing.

By the time they got to Elena's, Piper was fast asleep in the back seat of Whit's car, but Elena was slowly starting to sober up. Whit turned around and saw Piper sleeping, and Elena watched a hint of a smile cross his face. After she assured him that she could now walk on her own, he nodded and proceeded to scoop Piper up into his arms and carried her inside.

"Just go put her in my bed," Elena instructed as she lead the way. "Brennan won't be home tonight, and I need to make sure she doesn't stop breathing or anything."

"You sure you don't want me to stay and keep an eye on her? I don't mind, and you're gonna hate yourself tomorrow for not getting any sleep," he offered, placing her gently onto the bed. "I can stay if you need me to."

"We'll be okay," Elena assured him. "I'll take care of her, all right? I promise."

"Okay," he finally agreed, brushing her hair out of her face before turning to leave. "But call anytime if you need something."

"I will," she nodded as she saw him out. "And thanks again for saving us the humiliation of having to call Brennan. Don't tell him about this, okay?"

"Our secret," he winked. It was one of many between them.

"Elle, I feel like I got hit by a train," Piper whimpered as soon as Elena crawled into bed beside her. "Make the room stop spinning."

"If I could, I promise that I would," Elena said, taking Piper's hand into her own. "Just try to get some sleep, okay? Unless you need something?"

"I'm okay, I think," Piper answered, then turned and smiled at Elena. "You're my best friend in the whole world, you know. And I'm really lucky that you're my…"

"Your person?" Elena finished.

"Yeah. You're my person."

…

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to guess until I figure it out?" Meredith questioned upon finding her sister sitting alone in the kitchen that evening. "And I'm not in the mood to play guessing games, so spill before I call Susan."

"I haven't talked to Mom or Dad or Molly about any of this," Lexie confessed, acknowledging that there was, indeed, something to talk about. "I think that my marriage might be falling apart. I don't think that my husband loves me anymore. And I don't know what to do."

"Oh, Lexie… Matt _adores_ you. He's been in love with you since the first time he saw you. What happened to make you think otherwise?"

The single tear that fell down Lexie's cheek spoke volumes. "About two weeks ago when I was picking Leah up from school, she looked at me and asked, 'Mommy, am I going to live with you or Daddy?' I had no idea what she was talking about, but then she told me that when her friend Jason's parents got divorced, he went to live with his dad." She paused and brought her eyes to finally meet Meredith's. "She's _eight_, Mer. I didn't even know she knew what divorce meant."

She placed her hand atop Lexie's reassuringly. "Have you two been talking about divorce?"

"No. Lately, we haven't been talking at all. We haven't even been fighting. I don't know what to do," she sighed dejectedly.

"I wish I had an answer for you," Meredith whispered, feeling unbearably helpless. "But no matter what, we're here for you and we love you, all right? And you and Leah can stay in Seattle for as long as you need; I love having you back here anyway, even in this situation. So, technically, you guys staying here is selfish of me and not a burden like I know you were about to say it would be."

"You know how much I love you, right?" Lexie teased, surprising herself and her sister with a smile. "I've been wanting to move back to Seattle for years anyway, so either I keep my husband or I'm coming back home," she added, for the first time since her arrival acting like the sister that Meredith knew and loved. "I should get back upstairs; if Leah wakes up and realizes she's alone, she'll freak out. 'Night, Mer."

"Good night," she smiled as Lexie walked away, leaving her alone for a moment. However, her solitude was soon broken as Derek walked into the kitchen, kissed her atop her head, and went to the refrigerator to fix himself a glass of milk.

"I just crossed Lexie on the stairs. She looked better; did you two figure things out?" he wondered, taking a seat beside her.

"Not really, but sometimes just getting the problem out in the air helps. It gives you somewhere to start." Then she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips.

"What was that for?" he wondered with a grin.

"For fighting with me," she said mysteriously, leaving him completely confused.

"What are you talking about?" he laughed.

"Never mind," she replied, shaking her head and smiling as she took hold of his hand, happy just to be sitting there beside him.


	11. Chapter 11: Just You and Me

**_Chapter Eleven: Just You and Me_**

_Do I need to be invisible to just survive?  
Or am I foolishly wasting my time?  
I try so hard to quiet my expensive dreams  
Before they take me out leave me wondering  
Baby, it's just you and me  
We got a thing they can't shake  
Maybe it's a little hard sometimes to take  
But I'll tell you something, it's a life worth living  
Just so you know, I wouldn't give it up  
__No, no…_

Rie Sinclair

…

"_Do not_ say a word," Elena told her stepfather as soon as she and Piper walked into Seattle Grace the following morning. "I don't want to talk about it."

Mark, however, had to stifle his laughter at their appearances. It wasn't hard to guess what they'd been doing—the smell of tequila and smoke practically followed them down the hall—but he couldn't help but wonder why. He didn't know Piper very well, but he knew Elena. And showing up to work after a night of drinking at a bar just wasn't something she did. "Do you seriously think that's the end of the conversation?"

"I'm fine. We're fine," she insisted, avoiding the question as she and Piper escaped onto the elevator. "There's no such thing as a secret in this hospital," she sighed.

"He loves you," Piper smiled. "I think it's sweet that he's worried. Are you gonna tell him?"

"About Brennan and me?" she wondered, and Piper nodded. "I already have. I know it's weird that I'm twenty-four years old, and I still tell him things like that, but… Well, we're close. We've been through a lot together, and it's just—"

"It's sweet," she finished with a smile as the elevator doors opened.

"Hey, you two feeling okay this morning?" Whit laughed as they walked into the locker room. "You look a little better than earlier. Not much, but a little."

As Piper leaned against her locker, she shot him a dirty look. "Don't talk about last night. I honestly don't want to know anything I may have done or said. So, we aren't going to discuss it or, from this moment on, mention it again. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, jokingly holding up his hands in defense. "Oh, hey, Bren. How was your night? I heard that kid in juvie got busted for drugs _again._ Man, was she crazy or what?"

For a moment Brennan stared at his wife, questioningly noting her somewhat disheveled appearance. "No, she's not crazy. She's just… desperate. Lonely maybe," he shrugged. "I feel bad for her. She's an okay kid."

Before anyone else could say more, Patton walked into the room and announced, "Let's go. Parker, you know what you're doing," he said, looking straight at Elena. "The other Parker, you're with Derek Shepherd. Whittaker, you've got Yang. Christensen, you're with Montgomery. And Mitchell," he barked to them, pausing to stare at Piper. "Mitchell, you're with Sloan by special request. Get moving, people! And don't forget about costumes."

"Bastard," Piper whispered under her breath to Elena as soon as Patton was gone. "Elle, your stepdad is gonna ask me questions about last night. About you. What do I say?"

"Do you remember last night?" When Piper laughed and shook her head, Elena grinned, "No problem, then."

In absolute confusion, Whit questioned, "Um, am I the only one who noticed that the General said we need costumes? What the hell?"

"Oh, that's for the Halloween Ball. They have it every year," Elena said nonchalantly, like it was something that everyone already knew. However, her fellow interns just stared back blankly, silently seeking further explanation. "It's a huge costume party, basically; it's mostly for the kids who are stuck at the hospital, but I think all the staff enjoys it just as much."

"Are you serious?" Court questioned, suddenly making his presence known.

"As an aortic aneurism," she laughed, loving the completely distraught expression on his face.

…

"Well, what a lovely surprise," Mr. Falke said brightly as Elena walked into the room.

She was so relieved that he seemed to be doing much better. In fact, he would be returning to his retirement community soon, where they could keep a close eye on him. Until he was completely recovered, however, Elena promised to stop by to pay Liesel a visit when she went to see Leni, but she looked forward to the days when she would see him there once again. "How are you today, Lukas?"

"Oh, I am just wonderful. Even better now that you are here," he smiled, warming her heart. "Do you not have some surgery to be watching? That would be far more interesting than sitting here with an old man like me."

"More interesting than you? That not possible," she grinned, taking his hand. "Just not possible."

Meanwhile, Piper watched Mark skeptically as he wrote something down in theirs patient's chart. He hadn't asked anything yet, but she had a feeling that it was coming. Suddenly, as he looked up at her and smiled—Elena mentioned that he had been nicknamed "McSteamy" years ago, and Piper could still see why—she knew the question was coming.

"So, Piper—" he started to say, but she interrupted.

"Dr. Sloan, I can't tell you about last night. Partially because I can't remember most of it, but also because Elena is my person, and therefore, I'm obligated to keep her secrets… well, secret," she blurted out and was answered by momentary silence and an amused look.

"I was just gonna ask if the new deli they built is any good," he laughed.

"Oh. Yeah, it's all right. The club is the best," she answered, completely embarrassed as she walked as quickly as she could to be anywhere but there.

Mark was still laughing when he spotted Meredith and Addison sipping coffee outside in the cafeteria. "Has either of you _seen_ Elle today?" he wondered, grinning as he took a seat. "She looks awful. Piper is worse, though; obviously, those two have discovered the joy of the Emerald City Bar."

But neither Addison nor Meredith found the revelation amusing. "Mark, this isn't funny!" Addison said, smacking her husband on the arm. "If Elle starts with a drinking problem, this could be serious. Do you know why they went to Joe's? Are Elle and Brennan still having trouble?" she questioned, looking to both her husband and Meredith.

"She hasn't said anything to me," Meredith revealed. "But apparently, it's 'Trouble with your Husband' week or something."

"You and Derek?" Addison wondered, but Meredith shook her head.

"Lexie and Matt. Last night, she was talking about _divorce_, and I don't know what to think of that. And now with Elle and Bren. I don't know."

"Matt and Lexie _Carson_?" Mark asked, finding it hard to believe. They certainly weren't the two people he'd ever pegged for a divorce.

"I don't know what to do. Part of me wants to call Matt and tell him to get his ass to Seattle and fight for his wife and daughter, but the other part… The other part misses my sister and niece and wants them to stay here."

"You should call Matt," Addison decided and shot Mark a look when he opened his mouth to protest her interference. "Lexie might be upset with you at first, but she should at least give her marriage one more try before they give up."

Meredith nodded, knowing that Addison was right. After all, she would want the same thing if she and Derek were in that situation. "So, anyway, about Elle and Bren."

"We shouldn't get involved. Just… let them figure this out. It's their first big fight, and they have to resolve this on their own," Mark replied, getting odd looks from both women.

"'We shouldn't get involved?' Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" Addison wondered teasingly. "Since when do you not get involved in Elle's life? You're worse than Derek, Meredith, and I put together when it comes to her." After a pause, she demanded, "What do you know, Sloan?"

"Nothing, except that Elle is capable of dealing with this on her own. I want to fix all her problems, too, but she's not six years old anymore. If she wants to talk about it, she will. And if not, then she won't," he reasoned.

Addison's sigh let him know that she knew he was right. "When did _you_ grow up?" she wondered, pouting but secretly loving that he had finally become the man she always knew he could be.

…

Elena had hoped to steal a few moments of silence in the NICU later that afternoon but was dismayed to find Court sitting inside. Rather than putting herself through the torture of being in the same room with him, she watched inconspicuously from the doorway. But to her surprise, the longer she watched him, the more her anger toward him seemed to fade.

Maybe it was seeing him keeping such serene, attentive vigil over little Colin. Or maybe it was just the calm silence of the NICU in general. Whatever the reason, Elena found herself forgiving Court Christensen, at least for this time. She was sure that he was the kind to make quite a few mistakes before getting things right.

"It's so strange to come in here and see just one of them."

Elena turned and discovered that Amy—little Colin's mother—was standing beside her. She couldn't think of anything to say to her; she couldn't even begin to imagine what that pain felt like. Instead, she momentarily placed her hand on Amy's shoulder and waited for her to continue.

"It still just doesn't feel real. About Nora, I mean. I keep thinking that any minute, they'll bring her back in there and put her next to her brother and…" Even though tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, Elena could see her incredible strength. "But in a way, I'm lucky. I still have Colin, and I'll always have those moments with Nora. Every precious moment," she whispered, and Elena also found herself on the brink of tears.

As Amy went to sit at her son's side, Elena realized that there wasn't enough time in life to waste in anger. If she could find it in her heart to forgive Court, then she could certainly forgive her husband.

Not surprisingly, she found him in his secret place—the roof of the hospital. Actually, she had been the one to tell him about it in the first place; the hidden door was probably one of the only secrets that Seattle Grace Hospital could keep.

Without a word, she sat down beside him and was secretly amused by the look of surprise that crossed his face. As she rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her, all was suddenly forgiven.

"Elle, I have missed you _so _much. And I'm sorry; you're my wife, and I should have been on your side," he apologized as he breathed her in, the magnitude of her absence truly setting in only after her return. Despite the fact that the scent of her hair was currently a mixture of tequila, cigarette smoke, and lilac, none of that seemed to matter.

"I shouldn't have gotten upset with you for disagreeing with me," she admitted. "I'm sorry, too. I just… I don't know."

"Me either," he smiled. "But we'll figure it out eventually." After a brief silence, he wondered, "What in the world did you and Piper do last night?"

"We had our initiation at Joe's," she answered with a half smile as he laughed and shook his head as the city below them carried on unknowingly.


	12. Chapter 12: The Places

**_Chapter Twelve: The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most_**

_Buried deep as you can dig inside yourself  
And covered with a perfect shell  
Such a charming, beautiful exterior  
Laced with brilliant smiles and shining eyes  
Perfect posture, but you're barely scraping by  
But you're barely scraping by  
This is one time, this is one time  
That you can't fake it hard enough to please everyone  
Or anyone at all... or anyone at all  
And the grave that you refuse to leave  
The refuge that you've built to flee  
The places that you've come to fear the most  
It's the place that you have come to fear the most_

Dashboard Confessional

…

"Lily, I need you to tie this for me," Aida requested as she and her best friend got ready for the Halloween Ball at Elena's house. "I can't believe we have to miss Tristan Wilson's party for this one. Maybe we can sneak out or something."

But Lillian just shook her head. "First of all, you don't even _like_ Tristan Wilson. Second, you know that you secretly love the Seattle Grace party; if you really didn't want to go, do you think anyone could actually make you? And third… Aida, you look like a stripper in this costume. Your parents are gonna have a fit when they see you," she said as she stared at Aida's very risqué witch costume. Or at least what there was of it.

"Have you _seen_ the new interns? If any of them are half as hot as that one I met at Joe's, then I'm taking no prisoners," she laughed. After putting on her pointed black hat, she turned and asked, "So, how do I look, Queen of the Nile?"

"Like a stripper with a witch's hat," Lillian teased, grinning at the expression on Aida's face. She knew that Aida realized she wasn't serious, but it was amusing all the same. They were close enough to joke with one another that way without having the other take offense.

"Hey, Aida, do you have my eyeliner?" Elena wondered as she walked into the extra bedroom where the girls were getting dressed.

"Oh, Ellie, I _love_ your costume," Aida joked; her sister was wearing a tank top and a pair of high-cut gym shorts. "Well, Lily, I might look like a stripper, but Ellie looks like a hooker."

Before Elena had the chance to respond, Piper joined them as well, dressed in a pirate costume that rivaled Aida's in daring.

"Okay, never mind. I think Piper wins the slutty costume contest," Aida laughed, already comfortable around her sister's best friend even though they'd only recently met.

"Whit wanted to go as pirates," she answered casually, catching Elena's attention. "At least when I get wasted at Joe's, I don't flirt with _Court Christensen_."

"No, you just get wasted and end up in bed with my sister," she immediately fired back, and Piper admitted defeat. "So, Elle, where's Brennan? Did he manage to somehow miraculously get out of this party? If you can even call it that. And if he did, I've gotta know how."

But Elena laughed and shook her head at her little sister. "Bren's actually pretty excited about tonight; most people haven't been able to do this every year of their lives," she pointed out. It was easy to forget that only a lucky few had grown up with Seattle Grace as their playground. "He's helping decorate. The theme this year is 'The Garden of Good and Evil.' That should be interesting," she said with a grin.

"Elle, go get your costume on! I'm dying to see it," Lillian requested cheerfully, and moments later, Elena emerged and left them all speechless.

"What do you think?" she asked, surprisingly shy despite her breathtaking beauty. Her emerald gown caused her eyes to sparkle and stand out even more than usual, and the color contrasted perfectly with her dark hair and porcelain skin. Even without make-up or her hair done, she looked exactly like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.

"God, Ellie. The second Bren sees you, he's gonna jump you right in the middle of the dance floor in front of everyone," Aida said, complimenting her sister in her unique way.

Lillian stared at Aida before turning to Elena and smiling. "You look beautiful, Elle. Oh, I have the most wonderful idea for your hair! May I?"

Elena laughed and agreed as Lillian began to chatter away excitedly about what she planned to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Piper, who couldn't seem to stop smiling, and it made Elena even more thankful for the people she loved more than life itself.

…

"My mother is dressed as Alice in Wonderland, and my father is the Cheshire Cat. And _your_ mother is Little Red Riding Hood. Guess who the wolf is?" Sophie laughed to Elena as she and William joined her, Brennan, Piper, Whit, and Haden. "And Brennan is… a frog?"

"A frog _prince_," he corrected, pointing to the comically placed crown atop his head.

"I don't know what you see in this guy, Elle," William laughed as he greeted Elena with a kiss on the cheek. "You should've married _me_."

But Elena just smiled. "You'll find her, Will; she's out there. Besides, if we would've gotten married, then we couldn't complain about our significant others to one another."

"Hey!" Brennan exclaimed jokingly. He understood Elena and William's relationship, and it didn't bother him when comments like that were made. He and William had even become friends themselves over the past few years, and he was glad that Elena had someone like William in her life.

"Elle, have you seen Aida?" Meredith wondered as she approached, dressed as a queen; Elena knew it was because her father had decided on being a knight in shining armor. And truly, he was to both Meredith and Elena.

"Not since we got here," she answered, knowing that Aida would avoid her mother as long as possible. "But I'll tell her you're looking for her."

"Just wait until Mom sees her in that costume," Hayden laughed as soon as their mother walked away. "She'll have to stay at your place, though, 'cause Corri is coming down with something. She's been really tired and nauseous these past few days."

"The flu's going around," Piper offered. "Did she stay home tonight?"

"Yeah. She really wanted to come, but I told her to stay home and get some rest. I offered to stay with her, but she said she'd be mad if we _both_ had to miss the party," he laughed. "So, Elle, I think they're playing our song."

"I think they are," she laughed and followed her brother onto the dance floor.

Soon William led Piper out to the dance floor as well, and Sophie left to continue making her rounds, leaving Brennan and Whit alone for a moment.

"So, man, what's the deal with you two? Are you seriously never going to do anything but stare at her when she isn't looking and follow her around like a puppy?" Brennan questioned. He and Elena had spoken about the topic more than once, and Whit's feelings were getting more obvious by the day.

Whit looked at Brennan questioningly and almost avoided a reply. However, he realized that it was something that he wanted—no, _needed­—_to talk about. "How can I tell her, Brennan? What if she just laughs in my face or something? Or what if she freaks out and stops talking to me altogether? That place—the place where she and I don't speak anymore—it's somewhere I couldn't live being."

"There's another place, you know."

"Yeah, where's that?"

Brennan smiled, remembering his own fear of revealing his feelings to Elena for the first time. "It's where you tell her, and you find out that she feels the same way. It's scary as hell to say those words for the first time, but isn't not knowing worse?"

…

"I'll be back in a few minutes, okay? I'm just gonna take a quick break and see if I can find Bren," Elena told her friends a few hours later. It had been at least an hour since she'd seen her husband, and she wanted to make sure that everything was all right.

After searching all the usual places, she found herself in the abandoned hallway. But to her surprise, she wasn't alone; however, the identity of the figure in the Phantom of the Opera costume remained a mystery.

"Hi. Are you looking for something? Or someone?" she called out, hoping that she could identify this person by his voice; he seemed so familiar, but she couldn't seem to place him. However, to her surprise, he only smiled and walked closer to her.

She gasped as he put his hand gently to her cheek and continued to smile as he traced her jaw line with his fingertips. A part of her screamed to leave, that this wasn't right. But a tiny part was curious and excited and intrigued by the mystery. She knew it was wrong, but her curiosity for this mysterious stranger was overpowering.

However, as he leaned in to kiss her, she suddenly came to her senses and pulled away, breathing sharply. With a shaky hand, she reached up and slowly pulled off the mask, revealing the face she already expected.

As she realized that she was staring into the face of Court Christensen, a billion thoughts began racing through her mind. Yet she couldn't seem to make sense of a single one of them.

"Elle," he whispered softly after a moment, bringing her back to reality. "Elle, I—" he started to say but she interrupted.

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head as she pushed him away. "No, this is wrong. I want you to stay away from me. I am married, and I love my husband. And I want you to stay away from me."

Without another word between them, Elena hurried upstairs, trying desperately to put as much distance between them as possible. The whole thing had come out of nowhere; she and Court couldn't stand each other, and now they had nearly kissed in the hallway. She couldn't make sense of it, neither his feelings nor hers. She _loved_ Brennan; why, then, had she almost done what she almost did? It was a question that she almost didn't want answered. She was afraid to know.

"Elle!" she heard a voice call out as she passed a patient's room. To her relief, she found Brennan sitting with a patient. 

"Kody, this is my beautiful, amazing wife, Elena," Brennan smiled, sending a rush of guilt through Elena. The way he looked at her was so filled with love and adoration, and she knew that his mind would never stray from her. "Elle, this is Kody; she's the patient that I've been working with. I promised I'd come up and show her my costume."

"You were right. She's really pretty. You're lucky to have such an awesome husband, Elle," the young girl named Kody said happily. "Brennan is great."

"Yeah, he is," she nodded in agreement, hating herself more every moment. Brennan was wonderful, and she was lucky to have found someone like him.

"You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost or something," he asked, halfway joking.

"No, just a… a phantom," she whispered.


	13. Chapter 13: God Bless the Child

_**Chapter Thirteen: God Bless the Child**_

_God bless the child  
Who can find his way home  
God bless the child  
Who is weary and so  
Oh, beware to take care of yourself  
Or you'll lack the strength to help somebody else  
__God bless the child  
Who is broken and bruised  
God bless the child  
Who just wants to be good  
Oh, beware to take care of yourself  
Or you'll lack the strength to help somebody else_

Michelle Featherstone

…

An urgent knock on the front door woke Mark from his sleep. Addison had been called to the hospital, and he couldn't seem to sleep without her these days, so he had fallen asleep on the couch until she got back. However, he was awakened by the knocking and stood to answer the door.

Elena's tearstained face staring back at him made his heart sink. "Elle, what's the matter?" he asked immediately.

"Is my mom here? I really need to talk to her," she whispered with a sniffle.

"No, she's at the hospital," he answered, ushering her inside. "But I've got two ears that still work pretty well. And besides, you owe me an ice cream date. We've got rocky road and coffee."

"Rocky road is appropriate, I think," she laughed and followed him into the kitchen. As she watched Mark, a familiar feeling of comfort overcame her. They had done this so many times over the years, and their "ice cream dates" always seemed to make whatever problem Elena had just disappear.

"So, what's on your mind, Peanut?" he wondered, placing a bowl of ice cream in front of her before taking a seat. At her hesitance, he urged, "You know you can tell me anything, no matter what it is.

Staring down intently at her ice cream, she finally admitted in little more than a whisper, "I think I might have almost cheated on Brennan."

"Sorry, but I think I'm gonna need the whole story," he answered, puzzled.

She looked up at him, with tears beginning to well up in her eyes, and sighed. "It was a few nights ago, at the Halloween Ball at the hospital. I was looking for Brennan, and then I came across Court Christensen, and… well, I almost kissed him, but I didn't. But I almost did."

As she started to cry again, Mark put his arm around her as she cried into his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You didn't do anything, all right? You walked away, so you have nothing to feel guilty about," he said gently.

"But what do I tell Bren? Do I even mention it? And I still feel guilty for thinking about it, even if nothing happened."

"Tell him if you feel like you need to tell him. It's up to you."

"I feel like such a terrible person. Do you think it makes me terrible for doing what I almost did?"

He paused briefly before admitting, "Not unless you think _I'm _a terrible person."

"What do you mean?" she wondered, completely confused.

Mark sighed. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, Peanut, but I think you should know. We've been trying to figure out the right moment, and I think this just might be it. What you're about to hear… well, just listen and you'll see." He then began to tell her the story she'd never heard—the story of the way things were back in New York before Seattle and the chain of events that followed.

As Elena listened in shocked silence, so many things began to fall into place. There had been so many unanswered questions: Why had her parents gotten a divorce? Why had her father hated Mark so much for so long? Why had her father come to Seattle in the first place? It all made sense now. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me this before?" she wondered when he had finished, one of the few questions she could find unanswered.

"There was just never a right time. You were so young, and then Addie got sick, and… it just didn't need to be said until now."

"Who else knows? Do Hayden and Aida know this?" she asked, although she was sure they would have told her had they known.

Mark shook his head. I don't think so. I don't think any of the kids know. Except you." After a brief pause, he added, "Right or wrong, we do what we do for a reason. Sometimes we're justified, and sometimes we're not. In the end, if you get to where you're going, that's all that matters. How you get there—it's just different ways of getting to the same place. Okay?"

Elena nodded, then felt a smile overcome her face as she remarked, "I still can't believe my dad punched you in the jaw."

"Yeah, he gave me a good one," Mark laughed, recalling the memory. "I deserved it, though."

"I don't doubt it," she giggled, noticing a questioning look from her stepfather. "What?"

"_Court Christensen_? Seriously?" he teased playfully, happy that her mood had lightened. He had always been good at cheering her up, and it was a skill that he was extremely glad to have. Nothing made him happier than seeing "his two favorite girls" with smiles on their faces.

"Shut up," she grinned, punching him playfully in the arm and reminding him fondly of her mother.

…

"Parker and Mitchell, you two are in the pit today," Patton said, reporting their assignments.

"No charts? Seriously?" Elena questioned excitedly, hardly believing her ears. The pit wasn't exactly the most coveted spot in the hospital, but at least she would get to interact with actual patients and practice actual medicine.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, sir. Not at all," she answered quickly as she hurried out of the locker room before he had the chance to change his mind. "I hope we get something good today," she said to Piper a moment later as the headed toward the ER. "I need something to wake my brain up."

Piper nodded in agreement. "Speaking of, you've been really spacey lately. Is everything okay? I know there's something on your mind, but I won't push."

For the past few days, Elena had debated whether or not to mention Halloween night to Piper. It wasn't that she didn't trust her—because she definitely did. But now that Court was acting like nothing had even happened, she didn't know if she should just call it a one-time, momentary lapse of judgment and forget it all. However, somehow she just couldn't. "Court tried to kiss me the other night," Elena whispered.

"Holy crap!" Piper exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few passing hospital employees. In a lower voice, she demanded, "Why didn't you tell me this? I want the whole story, stat."

By the time Elena told her everything, they had arrived in the ER. Piper, however, was still reeling at the news. "Elle, that's just… Oh, God."

"Tell me about it," she nodded, a little amused that she wasn't the most shocked by this anymore. "But you can't say anything to anyone about it, okay? Not even to Whit. I've decided that there's no point in telling Brennan because he'll just do something stupid like punch out Court and get kicked out of the program."

"Okay," she agreed in a tone that Elena couldn't quite read.

"What? You think I should tell him?"

But Piper just shrugged. "You know Brennan better than I do, so I'm sure that if you think it's a bad idea to tell him, then it is. I just hope he doesn't find out from someone else, you know? It could get ugly."

"If you and Mark don't tell, then he won't. 'Cause my mouth is staying shut, and I _know_ Court's is, too. It'll be fine. It'll blow over and everything will be forgotten," she said, surprising herself at the confidence in her voice.

"I'm sure you're right," Piper nodded, offering a friendly smile. "Just steer clear of Court for a while. If I'm a witness to the sequel of 'The Almost Kiss,' I'll punch him myself."

Elena laughed as she and Piper went their separate ways to tend to a few incoming patients. Her assignment was a young man, probably only a few years younger than herself, with his left hand wrapped up in an old t-shirt. "Hi, I'm Dr. Parker. What brings you to the ER this morning?"

"Hey, Dr. Parker. The name's Theo," he grinned. "You look young to be a doctor. How old are you?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Old enough," she laughed. "So, what's the problem?"

Without a word, he unwrapped his hand to reveal a deep cut. "It happened this morning. The knife slipped, and… well, you can figure out the rest. Can you fix me up, Doc?"

After a thorough examination, Elena answered, "Looks like you're only going to need a few stitches. Do you remember when you had your last tetanus shot?" But when he shook his head, she smiled and replied, "Then I'll get you one of those, too."

When she had finished, she announced, "Okay, Theo. Everything looks good to go. Come back in a week, and we'll check out those stitches for you. Sooner if it starts to ooze or do anything else strange. Keep it wrapped up for a few days, and change the bandage at least once a day. The nurse over there will give you everything you need until it's time to come back."

"When are you going to be in the ER again?" he wondered.

"I don't know," she laughed, knowing exactly what his question implied.

"Maybe I'll run into you again. I hope so," he winked as he walked away, leaving Elena shaking her head in amusement. However, as she started cleaning everything up and preparing for the next patient, she noticed a little girl watching her timidly, almost hidden behind the doorway. "Hey, there, Sweetheart," she said gently as she slowly walked in the child's direction. "I'm Dr. Elle. Do you need some help?"

At first, the girl looked as though she was going to run. However, at Elena's gentle urging, she stepped into full view, and Elena's heart broke. The little girl looked as though she hadn't been bathed in weeks, her hair tangled and her clothes much too big for her petite frame. There was a yellowing bruise across her cheek that, to Elena, was the worst of it all.

"It's okay. I'll take care of you," she whispered, kneeling down and extending her hand. "Can you tell me your name? How old are you?"

"Maggie," she said, in a frightened yet trusting voice. "I'm seven."

"Hi, Maggie," she replied softly, noticing that the little girl was clinging tightly to what Elena assumed was a toy. "Is that your doll?"

But Maggie shook her head. "No, Dr. Elle. It's my little brother. My mommy said if anything bad ever happened, to come to a hospital. We had to run away because it wasn't safe. Luke was crying, but now he stopped, and I don't have any baby food. Can you help us?"

Her words were a dagger through Elena's heart. Trying to remain calm, she took the newborn from the child's arms, and it was plain as day that something was terribly wrong. "Someone page Dr. Montgomery or Dr. Karev, stat!" she ordered, keeping the panic from her voice as she took Maggie's hand into her own and rushed the baby to an examination table and began taking his vitals.

Addison arrived in the ER first. "Someone paged?"

"I did," Elena said as her mother rushed over. "Newborn male, unresponsive. His pulse is weak but steady," she reported shakily, letting her brave façade slowly fade now that she was no longer solely responsible.

Addison noticed Maggie, who was watching everything wide-eyed and clinging to Elena tightly. "I've got it here. You go take care of her, okay? I'll keep you posted, and someone call social services. These kids need to be taken care of."

Although Elena wanted desperately to stay, she knew it would be in Maggie's best interest to be away from the chaos. She led the little girl to an exam table in the back of the ER and closed the curtain. "Dr. Montgomery is a great doctor, and she's going to take care of your baby brother, okay?" she assured the child, who nodded in complete trust of Elena's words. "Now, we're going to take care of you. Do you remember what happened to your face?"

Maggie's little hand touched her cheek gingerly. "I was bad, so Mommy's boyfriend punished me. I left my toy on the floor and he stepped on it and hurt his foot."

Elena was almost afraid to ask her next question. "Did he hurt you anywhere else, Maggie?"

She nodded and lifted up her shirt to reveal another large bruise across her ribs. "This is because I was talking too loud when he was watching TV. And the one on my arm is when he got mad 'cause I spilled my glass of water," she answered as though it was just something that happened to everyone when they made a mistake. "My mommy had a lot more bruises than me, though. Most of the time, when he got mad at me, she said he should hit her instead."

With every word the child spoke, Elena began to feel even more ill. It was times like this that made her realize just how charmed her life had been and how lucky she was to have a father and stepfather who would never raise their voice—much less their hands—to her. "Where is your Mommy, Sweetie?"

But the little girl just shrugged. "He came home, and he was madder than I'd ever seen him. Mommy told me to take Luke and run somewhere safe. She said to go to a hospital and they would take good care of us."

"I promise we will," Elena nodded, fearing that these two children might now be motherless if her boyfriend's rage had overcome him. "Did she tell you anything else?"

The little girl nodded and smiled. "She said that, no matter what, she loved me and Luke. Always and forever."


	14. Chapter 14: The Scientist

Hey, guys! So sorry that I've been slacking on the story lately. Real life has been crazy with finals and med school apps and MCAT prep. But if you guys are still reading and haven't lost all your patience with me and want me to keep going with the story, let me know!

_**Chapter Fourteen: The Scientist**_

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry  
__You don't know how lovely you are  
__I had to find you, tell you I need you  
__Tell you I've set you apart  
__Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions  
__Oh, let's go back to the start  
__Running in circles, chasing our tails  
__Heads on a silence apart  
__Nobody said it was easy  
It's such a shame for us to part  
Nobody said it was easy  
No one ever said it would be this hard  
Oh, take me back to the start_

Coldplay

…

As Elena opened the door to the hospital chapel, she was relieved to find it nearly empty. With the exception of a man about her father's age and a woman about twenty years older than that, the small room was still. They both smiled at her as she walked inside.

Although she wasn't the kind who spent a lifetime on her knees, Elena had discovered the inexplicable comfort that a few moments with a higher power could provide. She had first stumbled upon the chapel during her mother's second round with cancer; since then, it had become her own little haven. So with a deep breath, she knelt and folded her hands together, silently pleading that those little children would defy medical odds and pull through.

Time went by, although Elena was unaware. Upon further examination, she discovered that Maggie had internal bleeding and needed an operation immediately. Dr. Bailey had offered her the surgery, but for some reason she didn't understand, she felt the need to turn it down. Maybe it was because she felt more useful offering up prayers for the helpless little girl than standing idle in the OR. Or maybe she couldn't bring herself to see the true extent of the damage the little girl had endured.

She didn't notice that she had been alone until she looked up and saw Court looking back. "What do you want?" she questioned uncomfortably and perhaps a little more harshly than she'd intended.

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine?" he laughed and took a seat beside her, prompting her to move away. "Relax. I was just coming in here to let you know that they found the kids' mom. She… she didn't make it."

"Oh, God. Those poor kids," she sighed, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, she realized that Court was still there, and she looked up questioningly at him. "Anything else?"

But they both knew that her thoughts were still on Halloween night and what had almost happened. "Look, Elle, I know you don't like me very much. I don't like you very much either, so it works. I mean, I'm an egotistical ass and you're a pretentious snob. But if you ever need somebody to talk to, I can put that aside for a few minutes."

"Why should I talk to _you_ about things?" she wondered, not quite wanting to trust him.

After a brief pause, he answered, "I think maybe we could be friends one day. That other night… I don't know what that was. I just know it won't happen again. It won't, okay?"

Elena couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't a bad person; she'd said that from the beginning. This side of Court—the friendly, caring side—was something she could get used to. "Maybe. One day a long, long time from now," she teased and he smiled. "Just don't get too friendly or else Piper might beat you up."

"You told Mitchell?" he asked, and she nodded. "Who else did you tell? Your husband hasn't tried to kill me yet, so I'm guessing not him."

After a brief pause, she admitted, "I told Mark."

"Oh, crap," he said quietly, resting his head in his hands. Mark Sloan took no greater pleasure in torturing him, and he knew that it would probably only get worse now.

"It's okay. I'll tell him… well, not to go any harder on you than he was before. He has to have _some_ fun, after all."

"Yeah, thanks," he answered sarcastically, just as Brennan walked into the chapel. "I'll… uh, keep you updated on what's gonna happen to the kids once we're done with them." He then hurriedly headed for the door, leaving them alone.

"That was awkward," Brennan remarked as he sat down beside Elena. "Everything okay?"

"It's fine," she nodded, just a little too enthusiastically. "He just came to tell me about Maggie and Luke's mother. It's so heartbreaking; as far as we know, they're all alone in this world." Suddenly, she realized that Brennan had been in Maggie's surgery. "How is she? Is Aunt Miranda done with her?"

"She was about to close up when I left the OR. Maggie's gonna be okay," he revealed, and Elena breathed a sigh of relief.

"And Luke?"

"He's with Piper and Whit in the NICU. He's got GBS, so we've started him on IV penicillin. He'll have to put up a fight, but he's lucky Maggie got him here when she did."

"It's funny that we're using a word like 'lucky' to describe those kids," she told him, shaking her head. "I promised her that I'd take care of them, but what happens when they get physically better and we have to send them away? Who knows where they'll end up?"

Brennan took Elena's hand. "I know you're worried, but they're patients, Elle. They're just little kids, but they're _patients_. You can't get attached. Not the way you starting to, at least," he advised.

"I know," she nodded as she stood to leave, although she was already more attached to those two children than he realized. "I'm gonna go wait for her to wake up; she'll probably be scared, and I think it'll be good to have a familiar face when she opens her eyes," she smiled and walked out into the hall.

…

"You know what's funny?" Piper said as Whit sat down beside her next to Luke's incubator, handing her a bottle of water.

"What's funny?" he questioned.

"Luke is the patron saint of surgeons," she replied and upon seeing the odd look on his face, she further explained, "One of the families I lived with was Catholic. I've always liked the idea of the saint thing. It's… comforting, I guess."

"You're an enigma, Piper Mitchell," he laughed, just happy to be on the same case with her. Both Elena and Brennan had been telling him to just come out and tell her the way he felt, but the moment never seemed right. Sometimes he wondered if she could tell, but she never let on if she could.

His laugh was contagious, and soon Piper found herself giggling as well. "How am I an enigma?"

"Just when I think I have you figured out, you say something that adds an entirely new dimension to you. It's one of the things I love about you."

Suddenly, there was silence as Piper's eyes met his. "What did you just say?" she demanded, not quite sure if she'd heard him correctly.

"Nothing. It's nothing," he hastily answered, trying to brush his accidental revelation off. But Piper wasn't about to let him.

"Rhys Whittaker, tell me what you said."

"I said that it was one of the things I love about you," he repeated. "I love you, Piper."

"I…" she started to say but found herself speechless. "I love you, too," she finally managed.

"You do?"

Piper nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I do. I think I've been in love with you for a while now, Whit. I couldn't bring myself to tell you because that would mean that I had to end it with Tommy. But this long distance relationship just wasn't working, so I called him last night and he was feeling the same way. I told him about you, and he seemed really happy for me." She then leaned toward him and kissed his lips softly, something she'd wanted to do for quite some time.

"So, what happens now? Where do we go from here?"

"I guess we give 'us' a try. Elle and Bren will definitely be glad to know that I've finally told you."

"Elle and Bren _knew_ you felt this way?" he questioned, and she nodded. "I can't believe them. They knew I felt this way, too. How could they not _say_ something? We shouldn't even tell them."

"I think they might be the only two people in this hospital who can actually keep a secret," she laughed as she entwined her fingers into his and looked at little Luke, who was resting peacefully amidst the machines and wires that kept him alive.

…

"Hey, there you are," Addison said as she took a seat at Derek's table in the cafeteria. "We need to talk."

The tone of her voice caught his attention. "What's wrong? Elle's okay, right? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're all fine; it's nothing like that," she assured him. "I just thought you should know that Mark told Elle… well, everything. She knows about New York and everything that happened before Seattle. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be in shock if she came to ask you anything about it."

"Oh, wow. So, Elle knows," he repeated, not quite sure how to feel. On one hand, he was a little relieved; they had always planned on telling her, but the moment had never seemed right. But on the other hand, he couldn't help but wonder what his daughter must think of them now. What she must think of them for keeping it from her.

"He said she took it well, but I'm sure she'll want more details from us," Addison said as she took a bite of her sandwich. "What in the world do we tell her, Derek?"

"The truth. We tell her the truth. I think she's old enough to handle it now. If there's anything she wants to know, then she should know," he answered, although the thought made him a little uneasy.

Addison teased, "It's been so long, I almost don't remember anymore."

Derek looked up at her and smiled. It had been a long time, but he still remembered everything. It wasn't something that you could really forget. But despite all the pain and heartbreak they'd gone through, he knew that they were lucky; not many people could maintain the relationship that he and Addison had after something like that. "We're just two people who forgot to take the time for what was really important in life. We're two people who have made mistakes and learned from them."

"Mom? Dad?" Elena's shaky voice immediately drew their attention, and they both stood. But instead of asking them the dozens of questions that they were anticipating, she simply wrapped her arms around both their shoulders and held onto them tightly for a few moments. Finally, she whispered, "Thank you. For loving me and always looking after my well-being and… everything. I love you both so much, and I want you to know that whatever you've done in the past doesn't matter to me. You're amazing parents, and I'm lucky to have you in my life." She then kissed them each on the cheek before walking away.

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Addison remarked as they sat back down.

Nodding, Derek responded, "We did a really good job with her."

…

"Mommy?" Maggie called out weakly as she slowly began to wake after her operation.

Elena, who had been sitting by her side, whispered gently as she smoothed back her hair, "No, Sweetie. It's Dr. Elle. You're at Seattle Grace Hospital. You needed surgery on your tummy, remember?"

The child nodded slightly. "Luke?"

"Luke is very sick, but we're giving him some medicine to help him get better," Elena reported, doing her best to sound hopeful.

"Okay," Maggie whispered and fell silent once more.

"Are you feeling okay? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I don't feel anything."

Elena smiled down at Maggie. "That's okay. That's the medicine from the surgery. Just let me know if you start to hurt or feel different than you do right now. I'm sorry that you've had to go through this, Maggie. It's not supposed to be this hard. Not yet."

"Dr. Elle?"

"Yeah, Maggie?"

With a tiny sigh, the little girl stated, "My mommy is in Heaven."

Her understanding and acceptance took Elena by surprise. She was sure that no one had told her yet, so she was at a loss for how the child had such knowledge. "How did you know?"

"'Cause I saw her. She was there when I was asleep, and she told me that she had to go," she said, her ability to speak coming back quickly. After a slight pause, she added, "There was another girl, too."

"What did she say?" Elena wondered. It reminded her of when she was a child and had similar dreams of seeing Leni.

"Nothing, but…"

"But what?" she urged, curious to hear what else the little girl had to say.

"She just looked a lot like you."


	15. Chapter 15: A Long December

_**Chapter Fifteen: A Long December**_

_I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower,  
Makes you talk a little lower about the things  
__You could not show her  
And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe  
Maybe this year will be better than the last  
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself  
To hold on to these moments as they pass_

Counting Crows

…

"Merry Christmas, Aunt Meredith and Uncle Derek," Lillian said cheerfully as she walked into the Shepherds' kitchen that morning. "Mom has a surgery and Dad has some admin stuff to deal with, but they'll be here as soon as possible. Oh, and Lydia called me and said that she and Sophie and Aunt Izzie are taking care of dessert and stuff."

"Thanks, Lily. Can I make you anything for breakfast?" Derek offered with a smile.

"Maybe just a cup of coffee. Is Aida around?"

Meredith couldn't help but laugh. "At seven in the morning? You'll have to pull her out of bed with the Jaws of Life this early."

"I can do that," she grinned. "I'll be back for my coffee in ten minutes. If I'm not back by then… well, send reinforcements." With her best friend's parents still laughing, Lillian hurried upstairs and into Aida's room where Aida, as expected, was fast asleep. "Wake up, Sleepyhead!" Lillian demanded loudly as she jumped onto Aida's bed.

"Damn it, Lily. Quit it or I'm gonna throw up all over you," Aida grumbled as she shoved her head under her pillow.

"Are you sick?" Lillian questioned, sticking her hand under the pillow to feel Aida's forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever. You aren't pregnant or something, are you?"

Aida sat up and stared at her friend in frustration. "No, I'm not _pregnant_ or something. Seriously, why do you always ask me that?" As soon as Lillian started to open her mouth, Aida quickly added, "Never mind. Don't answer."

"So, get up already. Everyone is gonna start getting here soon, and I wanna help decorate the tree this year."

"Why don't you start without me, okay? I need a shower before I even think about facing Meredith and Derek. I don't feel like being interrogated." Upon Lillian's stern glare, Aida sighed and pulled the half empty tequila bottle from out of her bedside table drawer. "It helps me sleep, all right? And before you start lecturing, no, I don't have a problem."

"Oh, Aida," Lillian whispered, suddenly realizing that it was more of a problem than she had imagined. "You really need to stop this. I have the mind to tell your mother—"

"_Don't_," she interrupted sternly. "Especially not on Christmas Eve. I promise I'll get some help after the holidays are over. New Year's resolution, all right?"

Lillian nodded even though she didn't believe her friend for an instant. "I'll see you downstairs. And Aida?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you, babe," she grinned as she walked out of Aida's room.

"Love you, too, Lily," Aida whispered as she tucked away the bottle of tequila.

…

"Elle, you said we weren't doing presents!" Piper exclaimed as Elena handed Whit and her each a small wrapped box.

"Well, _technically_ you don't get to keep it," she told them and laughed at Piper's expression. "Just open it, and then I'll explain."

Piper smiled as she opened the box and pulled out a glass snowflake with her name engraved into it; Whit's ornament was a glass reindeer with a painted red nose. "Oh, Elle, this is beautiful. Thanks!" she said as she hugged her friend. "What do you mean we don't get to keep them?"

"We have a tradition that there has to be an ornament on the tree for everyone in the family. Since you're spending Christmas with us this year, I thought you should each have your own ornaments to put up."

Whit smiled and hugged her as well. "Thanks for thinking of us, Elle. Are you feeling better today?"

For the past few weeks, Elena found herself feeling quite ill. She assumed that it was probably just a combination of stress and exhaustion, so she brushed it off. However, lately, she had also seemed to acquire some sort of stomach virus, so any morning that wasn't spent with her clinging to the toilet was a good morning. "I feel fine today. I must be getting better. It's a Christmas miracle."

"The _real_ Christmas miracle will be if we all get out of here early enough to make it to dinner," Piper joked as they each went their separate ways to care for their assigned patients.

As soon as Elena walked into Maggie's room, the little girl's face lit up. It had been a hard few weeks for the little girl and her brother. Maggie had acquired an infection after her operation and at times looked as though she might not pull through. In addition, little Luke had had an allergic reaction to one of the medications and gave them quite a scare. Worst of all was that they'd had no luck in finding any of the children's family members; as soon as they were well enough to leave, they would be handed off to social services. The thought broke Elena's heart, but she couldn't think of a single thing to do about it.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Elle," Maggie whispered, managing to smile despite the pain Elena knew she was feeling.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Maggie," she smiled as she grabbed Maggie's chart and pulled up a chair. "I see you had a little fever last night. When was the last time someone took your temp?"

"Really early this morning. It went down to ninety-nine point seven," Maggie reported, already beginning to pick up on the little details.

"Oh, okay, I see it right here," Elena nodded. "Got any good gossip?"

"You know that doctor that you fight with sometimes?"

Elena laughed. "Court?"

The little girl nodded. "Yeah, him. Next week, he has dates with two nurses and another intern. Oh, and Piper and Whit were kissing in the hall last night, but Nurse Debbie saw them and yelled that this is a hospital, not a youth hostel. Whatever that is. And the General was talking to someone on the phone and called her 'Honey.' Is he seriously married?"

Although she knew that it was against the rules to get so close to a patient—particularly someone in Maggie's situation—but Elena knew that the little girl needed someone to hold onto right now, and despite the rules she was breaking, she was going to be that person. "I don't know if he's married, but I don't think I'd want to meet the woman who can put up with _him_," she teased, and Maggie giggled. "So, how long is it gonna take you to ask what I have in the bag?"

"What do you have in the bag?" she questioned, smiling.

"Funny you should ask," Elena winked as she gently pulled her old doll out of the bag and handed it to the child. "Maggie, meet Amélie. She was mine when I was a little girl, and now I'd like for you to have her."

Shaking her head as she gingerly touched the doll's dark curls, she whispered, "Elle, I can't take her. She should go to your little girl when you have one."

The thought of children had often crossed Elena's mind over the years, but lately those thoughts were more persistent. Every moment she spent with Maggie and Luke made her want just a moment more. She hadn't said anything to anyone about it, but she saw the way that Brennan was with them, and she was sure similar thoughts were also on his mind.

"I want _you_ to have her, Mags. She'll take care of you; she's good at that. And this," she continued as she pulled out a stuffed dog with a big blue bow around his neck, "is for Luke. He can't have it in the NICU, so I was hoping you'd keep it with you until he's out of there."

"I will," she promised. "How is Luke?"

"I went to see him this morning, and he's looking better."

Maggie then took Elena's hand and placed her palm to Elena's softly. "Next time you see him, hold his hand for me. Maybe it'll be like I'm doing it myself."

"I promise I will," she smiled as she stood to leave. "I have to go now, but I'll come see you soon. Get some rest."

"'See you soon," Maggie said, already yawning before Elena left the room.

Outside the door, Addison was waiting for her daughter. She knew Elena well enough to know that her daughter was getting too attached; it was the way Elena worked, but Addison knew that it wasn't a good habit to keep as a surgeon. "Hey."

"Hey, Mom. Merry Christmas. Oh, wait, why aren't you at Daddy and Meredith's already? You're still going, right?"

"Yeah, I'm actually leaving for there right after I talk to you," Addison nodded. "Elle, Sweetheart, I'll just be… to the point. I'm worried that you're getting too attached to those children."

"They have no one. They need somebody, okay?"

I just don't want you to get hurt when they're gone.

"I can't just fix their bodies and send them off without knowing that the rest of them will be all right, too. I can't and I won't. Until I know that they'll be okay when they leave this hospital—whether it's with me or with someone else—I'm going to stay attached," she insisted adamantly.

"Elena Amélie—" she started to protest, but her daughter interrupted, refusing to hear another word of it.

"I'm sure someone told you exactly the same thing about Leni when it was you," she told her mother, who realized that it was all too true. "Where would _I_ be if you hadn't gotten attached?"

And with that, Addison let Elena walk away in peace. It was her daughter's blessing and curse to have such a huge, caring heart, but Addison knew that whatever happened, the only place she'd be was on Elena's side.

…

"Hey, wait up!" Court called out to Elena as he spotted her rushing down the hallway minutes later. However, instead of acknowledging his presence, she made an immediate bee-line for the ladies' room, leaving him standing outside the door in confusion. "Uh, Elle?"

The woman that walked out of the restroom noticed Court standing there and remarked, "Honey, if that little girl in there is your friend, you might wanna go in there and check up on her. I know it's a ladies' room and all, but she wasn't sounding so good."

He nodded and let himself into the restroom where he quickly spotted Elena standing behind one of the closed doors. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fantastic," she joked as she opened the door. Upon looking in the mirror, she shook her head and sighed. "Okay, so I really do look as terrible as I feel. I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

Court grinned and offered, "I could draw some blood for you and run the labs. I was supposed to be with Yang on a surgery, but it was postponed until after the holidays. At least when I'm with Yang, she let me in the OR; I had to stand in the back, but still, it's better than nothing. Sloan barely lets me in the gallery most of the time." Pausing for a moment as he noticed Elena's expression, he questioned, "What's with the face?"

"I don't particularly like being on the pointed end of the needle," she laughed. "But I guess I really should find out what's making me feel so awful. Oh, by the way, what are you doing tonight? We're doing a family thing at my dad and Meredith's, and since we're sort of friends, you can come if you want."

"You want me to voluntarily spend time with your family outside the hospital?" he questioned, and Elena laughed, imagining how that would probably go over. "Even if they could stand me, I'm on call tonight, so I'm gonna have to say no. Have lots of eggnog for me, though. Well, if you can stomach it."

"Funny," she said, rolling her eyes as they sat down. She extended her arm and winced as he came closer.

"Oh, stop it, you big baby. This won't hurt, I swear. If it hurts, you can have the CABG with Yang."

Elena nodded and smiled. "You are so on."

"Okay, no matter what, just focus on my eyes. Even if I look away, you keep looking." When she nodded, he said suddenly, "I've lived in Manhattan almost my whole life until I moved to Seattle. My parents divorced when I was ten, and my mother moved… I don't know where, leaving my sister and me with my father. He was a bank president and was more dedicated to that than to fatherhood, so he remarried the woman who Caryn—that's my sister—and I nicknamed The Wicked Witch of Park Avenue. I spent a year in Venice before starting med school; during that time, my sister married an idiot that I can't stand, and we haven't spoken since. So, it's pretty much just me in this world now. I have issues with people getting too close, which is why I'm an ass to most people most of the time. Oh, and I hate Seattle weather, but I think I'm getting used to it. As a kid, I practically lived on ferryboats, but I have yet to ride one out here."

He caught her a little off-guard with his revelation, but she was glad that he had shared it with her. There was so much more to him than she knew, and she wanted to find out. "Why did you tell me all that?"

Laughingly, he answered, "It kept your mind off the pain, didn't it? There was no way I was giving up the CABG."

Scowling, she demanded, "Was any of that even true?"

As his pager went off, he smiled. "Every word of it."

"Oh. Okay," she nodded as he stood to leave. "Hey, Court?" When he stopped in the doorway, she added, "You should give the ferryboats in Seattle a chance sometime. Nothing compares to Seattle on a ferryboat at dawn."


	16. Chapter 16: Somewhere in Between

_**Chapter Sixteen: Somewhere in Between**_

_This is over my head  
But underneath my feet  
'Cause by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat  
And everything will be back to the way that it was  
I wish that it was just that easy  
'Cause I'm waiting for tonight  
Been waiting for tomorrow  
I'm somewhere in between  
What is real  
And just a dream_

Lifehouse

…

"Whoa, it smells great in here," Aaron said as soon as he walked into Meredith and Derek's house. "Hey, Aunt Mer. Merry Christmas. The house looks wonderful," he smiled, hugging her.

"Merry Christmas," she smiled back, so proud of the young man standing before her. It was hard to believe that this twenty year old college student was once the mischievous child everyone thought would never straighten up. "Some of the guys are out back, and your sister is in the kitchen," she replied, and he nodded and went to meet them.

"I thought I'd lend you a hand," Alex offered as he grabbed a stocking and helped Meredith put them onto the mantle. "You know, before too long, we'll have another row of these."

The remark caught Meredith's attention, and she turned quickly and stared at him. "What do you know, Alex?"

"Just an observation," he laughed, knowing more than he let on. "I remember doing this when the kids were just babies, and the girls are gonna be twenty-one in a few months. Elle and Hayden are both married, and I'm sure William isn't far behind. After this year, Josh'll be the last still in high school. The kids are growing up; I'm just saying."

Meredith looked at him silently for a moment then suddenly punched him in the arm.

"Hey, ouch! What was that for?" he questioned playfully, rubbing his arm.

"You think I wanna think about my babies actually being _adults_? I cried for weeks when Elle left for college; it was a little easier with Hayden because he stayed in state, but now Aida's leaving, and…" her voice trailed off as she punched him again, and he couldn't help but laugh.

Meanwhile, Lillian noticed Derek sitting alone outside and took a seat next to him. "Hey, Uncle Derek. Want some company?"

"Of course," he said happily and she sat down beside him. "Did you get to decorate the tree?"

She nodded and smiled. "And Mom brought the little menorah ornaments, so I put those on there, too. Happy Chrismukkah."

"Happy Chrismukkah," he laughed. "So, your dad told me that you're going to be shadowing us this summer before you leave for college. Can I convince you to give neuro a shot or are you still set on cardiothoracics?"

"Maybe you'll convince me otherwise, but for now, it's cardiothoracics for me," she smiled, but her expression suddenly became serious. "Uncle Derek, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course," he agreed. Lillian was practically like a daughter to him, and he was always more than happy to lend an ear.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything, but I have to. I don't care if she hates me for telling you this, but I'm so worried about her," she started, beginning to ramble.

"Who, Lily?" Derek questioned, fairly sure he knew already.

She took a breath and whispered in a painfully torn voice, "I'm worried about Aida. I think she has a drinking problem, and if we don't do something, I'm scared we won't get her back. I can't help her all by myself, so I think you should know."

Derek put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're a good friend, Lily. We're lucky to have someone like you in Aida's life."

"She won't see it that way," she said, wiping an escaping tear.

…

"This is weird, right? Spending Christmas with our bosses?" Piper questioned, fidgeting with the gift in her hands, as she and Whit walked toward the frond door of the Shepherds' house.

"It would be weird if they weren't Elle's parents. Just… try to think of them as that instead," he suggested although the same thought was running through his mind.

"She better be there already; I called half an hour ago, and she said she was almost on her way. Bren's there, though, so that should make things a little less awkward," she said, breathing deep as Whit rang the doorbell.

"Hey, Merry Christmas. Come in," Addison smiled as she greeted them. "Everyone's sort of just scattered around the house, so pick a room make yourselves at home." With a slight grin, she added, "But I would advise you to stay out of the kitchen; it can get vicious in there."

As she walked away, Piper whispered, "Maybe this won't be so scary after all."

"Hey, guys," Brennan said as they walked toward him upon spotting him in the living room.

"Hey, Bren," Whit smiled, shaking his hand. "We aren't late, are we?" he wondered, noting the amount of people already there.

"No, not at all. We're still waiting on a few people," he assured them, kissing Piper's cheek in greeting. "William is at his girlfriend's parent's before they come here, and Lydia and Josh went back to get a few presents. And I don't know where Elle is; she said she was on her way an hour ago."

"Elle is here," Elena laughed, sneaking up behind her husband, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and kissing his cheek. "Sorry it took me so long. I had an adorable outfit picked out, but all of a sudden, it's too tight. Do I look like I've gained weight or something?"

Brennan turned around and pretended to examine her closely. "Nope, still gorgeous," he laughed as he kissed her lips softly.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Meredith greeted her stepdaughter. "Piper and Whit, I'm so glad you could both make it."

"Thank you for opening your house to us," Piper smiled, handing Meredith the gift.

"Oh, you didn't have to get us anything," she laughed, opening the wrapping to reveal a beautiful silver frame. "This is gorgeous! Thank you," she said, hugging Piper then Whit. "This is so thoughtful."

"Elle said you liked pictures, so I thought it was a good idea," she shrugged with a grin.

Suddenly, Meredith's face lit up as she offered, "Speaking of pictures, I _have_ to show you two some of Elle and the others as kids. They were so adorable; you'll love this."

"Meredith, I'm sure they don't wanna see that," Elena attempted, but Piper butted in.

"Oh, believe me, we do," she said with a mischievous grin and followed Meredith's lead.

…

"Okay, it's time for presents. Everyone into the living room," Meredith instructed after everyone had finished dinner. As soon as Meredith and Derek had taken their seats, Hayden and Corinne handed them a small, beautifully wrapped box.

"Mom, Dad… we want you to open ours first," Hayden said, unable to hide the huge smile on his face.

Meredith agreed and started to unwrap the gift. However, as soon as she saw what was inside, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my God," she whispered, beginning to tear up. At the questioning urges of everyone else who had yet to see what the box contained, she held up the small ultrasound photograph.

"Merry Christmas," Corinne whispered as she hugged her parents-in-law and then everyone else within arm's reach.

Amidst the congratulations from everyone, Meredith turned to Alex. "You knew, didn't you?"

Laughingly, he nodded. "I was sworn to secrecy. Congratulations, Grandma," he said with a wink and pretended to cover his arm, which caused everyone to laugh because they knew all about Meredith's tiny, ineffectual fists.

Elena, however, was feeling something a bit different. Of course she was delighted for her brother and sister-in-law, but their revelation led to one of her own. Quietly and inconspicuously, she escaped to the kitchen for a moment of silence; she felt as though she couldn't breathe.

But Leah noticed her departure and followed her to the kitchen. "Hey, Elle. Are you okay?" she asked as she saw the young woman leaning against the counter.

"I'm fine," she assured the child and picked her up, placing her atop the breakfast table so that she was eye to eye with her. "Are you having a good Christmas?"

Leah shrugged. "Sort of; I kinda like Seattle, I think. I just hope that Santa can find me at Grandma and Grandpa's. And I hope that he brings me what I really want for Christmas. I told the one at the mall, but I'm pretty sure that one wasn't the real Santa."

"What's that?" Elena wondered, charmed and calmed by the child's innocence.

"My daddy."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. As Elena went to answer it, Lexie walked into the kitchen and smiled as she spotted her niece and daughter.

"Hey, Lamb. And _there_ you are, Sweetie. I was wondering where you had run off to…" she said, her voice trailing off as she realized who was standing in front of her.

"Daddy!" Leah squealed with delight as she ran to her father's arms. "Daddy, I missed you! Santa brought you to Seattle, just like I asked!"

"I missed you, too, Leah. So much," he whispered, hugging her tightly.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" Lexie questioned, a little unsure what else to say. She hadn't expected him to come, and now that he was here, there were a million thoughts running through her head.

For a moment, he just stood smiling as he looked at Lexie lovingly. "Getting back the two best things that ever happened to me," he answered.

Finding herself in the middle of the awkward silence, Elena said suddenly, "Um… We're out of chips. I'm gonna go get some more." With that, she grabbed her coat and keys and hurried out the door. However, there was only one place that she wanted to be in that moment.

…

"I thought you had your family Christmas thing tonight," Court remarked, puzzled at Elena's presence in the hospital that evening. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm getting more chips," she answered, not making sense at all.

Bewildered but slightly amused, he quipped, "I'm pretty sure the hospital keeps its wine stash on the fourth floor." However, he quickly noticed that she made no response to him whatsoever—no smirk or eye rolling—and it concerned him. "Elle, what happened?"

"Nothing _happened_. I really wanted Brennan to be the first to hear this, but you're here right now, and I need to tell somebody," she said, stopping herself before she began to ramble. "I'm… pregnant."

"Oh. Wow. Um, congratulations?"

"Thanks. I'm gonna go sit in the NICU with Luke for a little while. I… need to think. Or something," she said, walking past him toward the NICU. Almost out of habit, she draped the sterile gown over her clothes, took little Luke gently out of the incubator, and sat down in the rocking chair. "Hey, Buddy," she said softly, smiling as Luke yawned.

"What are you going to do?"

Looking up, Elena discovered that Court had followed her and was now standing in the doorway. "What?" 

"About the baby. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"My mother raised me almost entirely on her own for the first six years of my life and still had an amazing career; it's not an issue of whether or not I can be a mother and a surgeon." She placed her hand atop her stomach and smiled. "This baby will be fine." She then took Luke's small hand into hers and whispered, "This is the baby that worries me. This one and his sister."

"You aren't seriously thinking of _keeping_ them, are you?" Court questioned.

She shrugged and answered casually, "Maybe I am. They need someone."

He sighed and shook his head. "You're a surgeon, and it's your job to save people. I understand the feeling. But, Elle, you have to get to the point where you realize you can't save the whole world."

"Then I'll save _them_. That's enough."

"There's no such thing as enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"How many months have you been married and you were almost kissing another man? You're a surgeon, but you also want to be a mother, not only to your own child, but to two others. I'm guessing you were captain of every team and president of everything growing up, weren't you? Where does it end? Everything isn't enough, and you and I both know it," he answered, walking out and leaving Elena and Luke momentarily alone.

Gingerly, she placed the infant back into the incubator, lingering a bit longer to watch him as he slept.

"Elle is in the NICU. What a surprise," Derek joked as he stood in the doorway half an hour later, watching his daughter standing next to the tiny infant in the incubator, Luke's fragile little hand wrapped loosely around her finger. "How is he?"

"He's doing well. I just got him to sleep, so I was on my way back to your house," she answered, not even bothering to give a reason why she was there in the first place. If he knew to look for her there, then he already understood.

"Elle, is there something you need to talk about?" he offered as he stood beside her. "You seem a little preoccupied lately."

After a long pause, she wondered, "Daddy, why is life so complicated?"

Derek laughed and hugged her. "I've realized that I say this in response to most of your questions, but I don't know. Is this about anything in particular?"

Smiling slightly, she replied, "You're gonna be a grandpa."

Turning his gaze toward the sleeping infant before them, Derek nodded. "I can hardly wait until May. Corinne and Hayden are so happy, and I know they're going to be such great parents." However, when he looked up at Elena and noticed her expression, he questioned, "Wait a minute. You _do _mean Corinne and Hayden's baby, right?"

"Um… Not so much. Surprise?"

"Elle, congratulations!" he exclaimed happily, hugging her again. "Why haven't you said anything?"

"Denial, mostly. I haven't even told Bren yet. For the past month, I've been convincing myself that my baby was the stomach flu," she laughed, shaking her head. "I'm excited, though, about the baby. It's a little sooner than we'd planned, but we'll figure it out." She then wondered, "What's on _your_ mind? You look like you could use someone to talk to."

Derek sighed heavily. "I'm worried about your sister. Lily told me, in confidence, that she's afraid Aida has a drinking problem. And I don't know what to say to her; I don't know how bring it up without her being…"

"Aida," she finished, and he nodded. "What does Meredith say?"

"I haven't said anything to her yet; I didn't want her to worry today," he admitted.

Elena smiled reassuringly and placed her hand atop her father's. "I can be there if you need me to be. Reinforcements or whatever."

"I think that would be a good idea." Derek then stood, offering Elena his hand. "Ready to go back to the party? They're bound to notice we're missing sooner or later."

She nodded and stood, wrapping her arm around his. "Let's go home. If they haven't noticed that _we're_ missing, they'll notice that they're out of chips. Which I was supposed to be out getting, by the way, so we should do that before we get home."

"Elle?"

"Hmm?"

"Merry Christmas, Princess."

"Merry Christmas, Daddy."


End file.
